Black Twilight
by Darth Vader C11
Summary: The soul of Ciel Phantomhive is coveted by every incubus on-and off- the face of the earth. However; his soul's magnetic quality has endangered his life in the past. Now, the teen has moved in with his biological father to escape, but can't. AU, SxC. READ
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey. This is my FIRST EVER STORY...it kind of turned into a crack fic about what would happen if the Kuro characters were in a story based on the plot from Twilight DON'T STOP READING! Yeah...I know it's _Twilight_ but at least read the first TWO chapters (Although chapter one is just the beginning, chapter two is pretty solid) before deciding whether or not to write me hate mail about how much you hate Twilight. Let me know how it feels once you digest it. Write a review or two...keep reading when the chapters come out and such. Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: Well, you know how it goes. Kuroshitsuji isn't mine, and neither is the Twilight series. Have fun kids. **

Chapter One:

The blazing sun sat indolently in the cloudless sky, cloaking all of Arizona in an intense seventy-five degree heat wave. Ciel Phantomhive stood clutching a potted green cactus as he walked apprehensively over the scorching pavement towards his stepfather's car. The boy adjusted the black silk patch that rested over his right eye as the brightness around him illuminated his left royal blue iris. Dark azure strands of hair clung to his pale face and he could feel the sweat gathering on his starch white V-neck tee shirt. Today was the day he would leave home forever. Before the boy got into the car, he took one last look at the astonishing desert scene before him; there wouldn't be anything like this where he was going. The stagnant air encircling his body seemed to playfully kiss his nose, tempting him to stay in Arizona.

"Guys, come on. I love you both but we have a plane to catch!" The voice of his stepfather broke him out of his reverie. His mother, Rachel, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then headed to the car; her blonde curls brushing softly against Ciel's chin. He slid into the back seat of the cramped silver Vauxhall Zafira MPV and gave his familiar surroundings one last glance before driving off to the airport.

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><p>Vincent Phantomhive drove silently along the drenched roadway, struggling to find words to ease the awkwardness of seeing his son for the first time in years. The irksome screech of the windshield wipers against the glass was the only sound in the vehicle at the moment. The lack of words mortified Ciel, and he couldn't help but question his decision to live with his biological father in the desolate rain plagued town of Forks Washington. Rachel was now adapting a nomadic lifestyle to satisfy her new husband's baseball career, and there was little room for a teenager in that equation. So, here he sat, staring idly out the window of his father's cop car, wishing desperately for the awkward journey to end.<p>

Finally, Vincent shifted in his seat and adjusted the police chief badge that was pinned to his jacket. "Your hair's longer." The older man blurted. His own dark hair gracefully framed his young features. He looked no older than forty and was a mature carbon copy of his son.

Ciel stirred at the sudden articulation and replied coolly. "It's been a few years. You wouldn't expect it to stop growing just because you haven't seen me." With that, the teen returned to his place at the window and failed to notice Vincent's heaving sigh.

That was the extent of their conversation. Silence ensued as the pair continued to Ciel's new home.

Gravel crumbled under the weight of the cruiser when the two pulled up to Vincent's house. Ciel stepped onto the lot with his cactus in tow; memories flooding his mind of the summers he spent in the small white house as a child. It was the same as it was back then: a small, two bedroom house surrounded by an over abundance of green. As if the permanently grey sky wasn't enough, malachite colored vegetation spread like an epidemic throughout the entire town and devoured the grey tones to form a vomit inspired color scheme.

Ciel sighed inwardly as his father carried his small suitcases up the wooden stairs. As they passed the only bathroom in the house, the teen noticed that there were no evident changes made to the house's interior. Even his room remained the same, excluding the fact that Vincent had purchased a king sized bed to replace Ciel's crib. Even the rocking chair his mother once used to settle him as a child was still resting between the royal blue walls.

"I wasn't really sure what you would want so one of the guys from Bed Bath and Beyond helped me out…" Vincent started as he placed the bags on the wooden floor. "You like blue, right?" He stared at his son's bright blue eyes as he made the connection, but faltered as he caught Ciel rolling his eyes apathetically.

"Sure." Another bout of silence. Vincent stared around the room and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as Ciel unconsciously played with his hands. This was going to be a long year.

"Ok." The older man finally nodded and attempted to exit the uncommunicative atmosphere as fast as possible.

"Ugh." The boy felt relieved to finally be alone, away from the scrutinizing eyes of his superiors and the programed need to plaster a false grin on his face. He sank peacefully into the ductile mattress, but was soon interrupted by an excruciatingly boisterous horn outside his window. Vincent was outside leaning against an atrocious red truck conversing with a rather large, leathery faced blonde man with beady eyes. "It seems that there _is_ life on this planet." The boy sauntered down to meet the newcomers, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and thought about how he had nothing better to do. When the dim light of the outdoors exposed him to the small crowd in the driveway, Vincent waved him over.

"Hey! You remember Arnold Trancy and his son Alois, right?" Albino white teeth formed an immaculate grin that complimented Vincent's already impeccable features. Ciel glowered at his father then glanced at the vaguely familiar visitor. The rotund man – or Mr. Trancy, as his father would want him to say – towered over him with a conceited scowl plastered against his saggy skin. The boy cringed at the sight of him. Of course, his father's overt happiness prompted him to extend a pale hand to the man in greeting.

"Hello…" Ciel's words barely escaped through closed teeth as he attempted to smile, his small brows furrowing from the strained effort.

"Ah yes," Black eyes carefully examined the dark-haired child as putrid breath found its way to the boy's acute nose. "I remember you…" Arnold recalled as the slight asphyxiation of the younger boy went undetected. "And I'm sure you remember Alois." A ringed finger motioned lazily towards his son, a blonde boy a bit older than Ciel, who was engrossed in cleansing his fingernails with an expertly manicured thumb.

"Hello. I'm Ciel Phantomhive." He extended his hand cordially, but only to humor his father who was still grinning like an idiot.

"Hm. I know. " Alois' arrogance seemed to rival that of his father's, and something about the guy severely repulsed Ciel. The other boy ran a thin pale hand through his luscious blonde hair and then continued to clean himself, brushing invisible grime from his plush purple hoodie.

"You too boys used to get along quiet splendidly when you were small." Arnold continued with a monotone droll.

_Yeah right._ Ciel found it hard to believe Mr. Trancy's claim as he stared at his complete opposite. The thought of getting along with a narcissistic, pouty blonde in booty shorts was unfathomable.

Vincent seemed to sense the tension radiating between the two boys and attempted to lighten the mood. "So Ciel, do you like it?" The slender man wrapped a muscular arm around the faded red truck. "Arnold sold it to me. I figured you'd need it."

_If I needed something to help me become the laughing stock of Washington. _Ciel sighed to himself, mulling over the fact that his current living situation was beginning to look worse and worse by the minute. "Thanks Vincent…you shouldn't have" _You really shouldn't have. _He thought as he eyed the dull maroon paint and the ripping pleather interior. Simply imagining himself driving such a contraption made him dread the first day of school tomorrow. "So...what's the high school like?" The younger boy turned to face Alois.

Ciel was taken aback as Alois glanced at him and narrowed his striking blue eyes in irritation. "How should I know?" The blonde sighed and twirled a pale finger around a stray strand of golden hair. "I go to school on a reservation. My family's too rich to mingle with the likes of you."

Completely forgetting his ploy to act polite in front of his father, the boy openly sneered in disgust. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to acquaint Alois' perfectly upturned nose with his fist. Yet still, the thought of even touching the blonde prevented him from doing so.

A silent battle raged on between the boys; strings of unuttered profanities communicated themselves clearly between each glare Ciel gave Alois and vice versa. Finally, with the dignity of a child, Alois stuck out his bottom lip and turned on his heel. "I want to go home." He uttered as he snapped demandingly towards his father. The older man complied without so much as a word of protest.

"Good to see you guys again." Vincent waved but received no reply as the blondes left. He then turned to his son, whose bright eyes were burning with enmity, and awkwardly placed a hand on the boy's tensed shoulder. "Ah, it's okay if you don't get along anymore. People change over the years." As he said this, he pictured Ciel as an effervescent and explorative child; as he was the last time he was here. Vincent took in the sight of the embittered teen next to him and sighed at how much Ciel had changed. That was his baby boy, all grown up…

Ciel caught his father staring at him as if he was about to cry or, even worse, hug him. So the teen took it upon himself to fake a yawn and stretch, skillfully willing his father's hand to casually drop as he did so. "Thanks for the truck. I'm going to bed now…see you tomorrow."

"Oh." Vincent shook himself from his trance to gaze up at the darkening sky. "Yeah I guess it's getting pretty late. Hey, don't be late for school tomorrow. You wouldn't want detention on your first day."

Ciel headed quickly up the stairs. "I won't. Goodnight!" He then slammed his door without waiting for a response.

The teen ran a hand through his dark hair then collapsed onto the equally blue bed. He pulled his phone from his back pocket and dialed a number as he stared into the darkness of his room, quietly waiting to hear the voice he needed the most right now.

"Hello?"

"Hi, mom."

A gasp was heard from the other line as Rachel realized it was her son on the phone. "Ciel, darling! How do you like Washington so far? Do you miss me? I miss you so much, kid! Oh it feels like it's been such a long time since I've heard your voice…" She continued to rant aimlessly through the phone until Ciel interrupted.

"I love it here, mom." He lied, biting softly on his lower lip as to keep the truth from slipping out. "I miss you too. "

"Great. I'm glad you do!" She paused as her husband called her over in the background. "Honey, I have to go. Apparently your stepfather broke the toaster again. Well, call me if you need anything I'm always here for you! Love you!" She called, making a sound that Ciel assumed to be a kiss.

"Love you too. Bye." The line went dead. Although the irritating feeling of wearing jeans to bed would have usually prompted him to change, Ciel crawled under the covers immediately as the weight of sleep pressed heavily against his eyelid. Tomorrow, he would have to prepare for the unexpected.

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><p>Ciel convulsed at the sight of the school; if it could even be called as such. To the teen it looked like a brick insane asylum with a rickety sign that proclaimed it's status as a high school. Nevertheless, he looked into the dusty mirror of his red death contraption, adjusted his eye patch, flipped up the midnight-black hood of his jacket, and made his way up to the front doors.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So that was the first chapter. I had to delete and re-upload it like 4,000 times but it's all good. Thanks for reading and don't forget to read chapter two before completely writing this piece of crack off. (Haha get it, crack fic...ok my jokes suck.) Tell me what's up! Please review. If you do, I'll save a gorilla in the wild. If you don't...i'll kill one. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey. Thanks so much for the reviews and favorites, trust me; I was sooo excited about that! Anyways, since my cheer team made it to states for the first time, I decided to upload TWO chapters at ONCE in celebration. So after you're done this one, go read chapter three. (My favorite chapter of this story to date) Warning: This chapter is where the crack-fic nature rears its head...due to the rather arbitrary assignment of characters. However; I did put a great deal of thought into them, and if you think about it...they kind of make sense. Still, let me know if it scares you or if you feel inclined to commit a murder after reading this. Either way, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Do I have to do one of these for every chapter? Just so that I don't get accosted by Fic Nazis...or the real police for copyright infringement...I don't own Kuroshitsuji or Twilight. Thaaannnkksss! **

Chapter Two:

It wasn't long before Ciel felt every eye in the building sear into his back as he walked towards his first class. After all, he was the first new kid to come to the school since it was first built. As he contemplated turning around and screaming at each and every student to avert their eyes, one overzealous blonde jogged over to him and held out his hand. _Not another blonde!_ Ciel groaned.

"Hi! You're Ciel Phantomhive, aren't you? I'm finny." The boy's voice was surprisingly soft as he shot Ciel a large sparkling grin that was close to blinding.

While accepting the handshake, Ciel analyzed the boy's strange attire. A childish candy-stripe tank top clung to Finny's thin frame, accompanied by jeans that cut off just below the knees and effeminate red hair clips. "Nice to meet you. Would you happen to know where the gym is…"

"Yeah! Would you look at that, we're in the same class! I'm on my way right now, come on!" With that, the lanky blonde grasped Ciel's wrist and pulled him through the crowd of curious onlookers to the gym.

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><p>"Watch ouuuuut!" Finny yelled loudly as Ciel's volleyball headed straight for another student's head, but it was too late.<p>

"Ay, Finny! What'd you do that for!" The student's yells echoed through the gym and a red haired girl with glasses rushed over to see if what had happened.

"Bard! Are you alright?" She exclaimed, examining his scarlet cheek.

"Yeah yeah Mei, I'll be fine." The tall boy's blue eyes darkened as he glared menacingly at Finny, who was running quickly towards him with the new kid.

Ciel watched as Finny incessantly apologized to his tall flaxen-haired friend. _Seriously! How many blondes are there in Washington?_

"Sorry Bard! We kind of got carried away with the game…" Finny averted his eyes and gave a miniscule embarrassed smile.

Bard raised his large hand and slapped the thin boy on the back harshly, but playfully. "Just don't do it again, okay?" He strained through gritted teeth. "This the new kid?" He thumbed towards the silent Ciel.

"Oh, yes! Bard, Mei-Rin, this is my new friend." Finny beamed.

_I wonder how many times I'll have to say my own name today…_Ciel thought as he introduced himself yet again.

"Nice to meet ya Ciel! A friend of Finny's is a friend of ours!" Mei waved enthusiastically, making her red ponytails sway with each move.

"Right. So feel free to ditch all of these other crazies at school and chill with us." Bard winked.

"Thanks." Ciel hadn't expected to make a friend on the first day, so the fact that three new people welcomed him came as a surprise.

"Stop fooling around and get back to work people!" The gym teacher bellowed.

"Yes Mr. Randall!" Mei waved sympathetically at Ciel as she watched him and Finny return to their side of the gym. "Meet us at lunch!" She called, and the two boys nodded affirmatively before accidentally pummeling another student with a volleyball.

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><p>"So, Ciel, what was it like in Arizona?" A blonde-haired spirited teen asked the boy as she leaned closer to him with interest; her pink dress slowly exposing more skin. If it weren't for her enormous emerald eyes, Ciel would have assumed that half of the Aryan race attended this school alone. She had been sitting with the people from gym class and had introduced herself as Elizabeth. Soon after, she had retracted that statement and insisted that Ciel call her Lizzy instead.<p>

He thought for a moment, looking away from her bright, expectant face. Finally, he answered. "It makes Forks feel like living in the shower." The rain pattered against the cafeteria ceiling as he said this, further advocating his point.

Lizzy rested her head on her hands and giggled softly. "Don't worry; the rain does stop once in a while. It's great to see the sun when it does come out…" The girl dropped her smile and her face took on an expression laced with curiosity. "By the way…why do you have an eye patch?" The three from gym class leaned into the table to glare curiously at Lizzy's question-prey as soon as the words escaped her glossy lips.

"I'll bet he got it in a nasty brawl, right kid?" Bard punched his shoulder and let out a deep laugh when Ciel rubbed his arm from the impact.

"No! I'll bet he just wears it to make himself look tough." Mei joked, winking at Ciel.

"Let him explain," A thin hand reached out to pat the stunned boy on the back and Finny grinned as Ciel mouthed a thank you. Not a word was spoken at the table of five as the students awaited the teen's answer.

"I ugh…" Ciel thought about lying, but it was against his better judgment to lie to his only friends. Yet still, it was a part of his past that he was striving to keep hidden. So, he took a breath and settled for an answer. "It's a long story." It was true. His eye throbbed lightly against the silk as he sighed.

A soft clink was heard as the toothpick that had dangled out of Bard's mouth hit his lunch tray. "Aw, come on! That doesn't tell us nothin'!"

Mei opened her mouth to agree but was stopped by Elizabeth's upturned palm in her face.

"Look, they're here." She whispered, earning two successive looks of inquiry then understanding from everyone except Ciel.

Across the cafeteria the door opened, revealing five students as they sauntered into the building.

It was mesmerizing; watching these people. The girl – or the Muse, Ciel considered, admiring her aesthetics – wore a tightly drawn lavender dress that brandished her endowments and rippled slightly as she coasted along the tile floor with milky white dancer's legs. Onyx strands fell over her flawless porcelain face and gathered just above her angled jaw in a meticulous bob that kept a blossoming pink flower wedged in between its length. He only tore his eyes away from the sight to regard the other inhuman beings that traversed the doorway.

The statuesque girl held the hand of an almost identical male. His waxen tone rivaled that of the girl's, and he swiftly lifted a turquoise-sleeved hand to brush a short ebony string of hair from his face before placing a chaste kiss on the girl's small hand. His eyes remained closed and his lips never faltered from the serene curve they exhibited as he fluidly took a seat at a small table with the girl next to him.

"What's with them?" Coughing slightly, Ciel tried to appear uninterested as the three other celestial progenies filtered in and moved to sit with the original two. There was a bedazzled olive-toned teen with an ostentatious purple curtain of hair followed by a hulken, equally tan male with silvery fringe that just barely protruded his ethnic headdress, and another person that was hidden behind the latter.

The purple headed one twirled gaily as Mei-Rin began to speak. "Well, they all live with Dr. Ash and his wife Angela. Apparently they are part of some foreign affairs committee and decided to bring these kids to America. The two over there are from China; Lao and Ran-Mao. Then those two are originally from India; Sohma and Agni. And that one there…" Just as Mei was about to continue, Agni moved to keep the spinning Sohma from falling and in the process, revealed the final person to Ciel. Their eyes met, and Ciel stopped breathing.

"That one…is Sebastian Michaelis." Lizzy finished.

Time stopped. Not a soul inhabited that cafeteria in Ciel's mind. Those eyes; those smoldering, relentless vermillion eyes, vehemently penetrated innocent azure as the boy engaged in the most extraordinary staring contest of his life.

Sebastian obliterated the connection when he heard Lao call him over. Before accompanying the others at the table, he snuck in one last glance at the boy's face; his widened, deep blue eye, the seemingly misplaced eye patch – _such a young boy couldn't possibly have lost an eye_ – Sebastian reasoned, noticing the stranger's his slightly parted lips and his luminescent pale skin.

"Sebastian!" Lao repeated, his brows furrowing over squinted eyes while he waved the guy over once again. At the repeated sound of his name, the black-clad male turned to finally sit with his group and left Ciel staring like a gaping goldfish.

A look of concern spread over Lizzy's soft face. "Ciel, are you okay?" She waved a painted finger in front of the boy's frozen features until he blinked consciously.

"Yeah…I got distracted, that's all."

Mei grinned mischievously and jabbed an accusatory finger into Ciel's chest. "Distracted by Sebastian, you mean?" Thin eyebrows rose over her thick glasses in amusement.

"No!" It was the first time since second grade that Ciel had blushed, and at the realization, his cheeks went completely red.

"Leave 'em alone Mei, you had the same exact face on ya when you first saw Sebastian!" Bard crossed his arms and moved a new toothpick between his bleached teeth.

The redhead's cheeks rivaled her hair as she shot back at the blonde. "Oh yea? Well I wasn't the one trying to sneak a peak under Ran-Mao's skirt for a week, now was I?" Satisfied, the girl relaxed into her chair and smirked as Bard gawked.

Ciel figured the two students' argument would escalate into a full-blown war, but was proven wrong when the bell sounded through the crowded café and the two laughed and headed to their next class.

"They do that all the time. It's nothing new." Finny produced a nearly inaudible snicker and grabbed his empty tray. "Time for Biology!"

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><p><em>Oh no…<em>Ciel attempted to hide his face from the class as he felt a familiar heat radiate through his skin. _There has to be more seats in this class besides…_His internal struggle was interrupted by the teacher's reprimandation.

"No hoods in class, Phantomhive. Anyways, I usually assign seats in alphabetical order but since you came late you'll have to sit in the only spot there is left. Sorry about that…" The teacher sincerely apologized and motioned to the seat that had already caused Ciel's face to turn such a delightful color; the empty seat next to Sebastian.

Reluctantly, Ciel brought a quivering hand up to remove his hood. Would the students comment on his abnormally red face? The teen was so preoccupied with potentially embarrassing himself that he accidentally loosened the string on his eye patch as he pulled off his hood. "Crap!" As the silk garment tumbled to the floor he hurriedly slapped his free hand onto his face to conceal his right eye, but not before one particular student caught a glimpse of something that glowed neon amethyst. Books clattered to the floor as Ciel hastily retied the silk in place under his azure hair. The teen stole a few surreptitious glares at the reactions of the other students. None of them seemed to notice as they were all immersed in their own petty conversations. Ciel dropped his tensed shoulders and breathed out deeply. The teacher looked a bit concerned, but said nothing unusual. _Good. Nobody saw it. I'm safe._

He bent down after his heart had stopped beating out of his chest to grasp the books that were strewn across the floor. Contentment graced his soft features as he celebrated his own agility until he finally rose to meet the astonished eyes of Sebastian Michaelis.

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><p><strong>AN: That was shorter than I thought it was...but that's not up to me! Tell me what YOU think. Don't forget to review. Your comments make my heart feel positively tepid. Wait..I mean warm. (Ahah I just quoted Sebastian...okay, not funny I guess.) Yarrr! Just read chapter three and review; the threat from the previous chapter still holds!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This one looked longer than the last one...but I guess it really wasn't. Ha! So here's chapter three, uploaded only mere moments after chapter two...hope that wasn't a mistake that disrupted the sequential and natural flow of the earth...Ah, anyways, I just finished reading chapter 20 (FINALLY! I hate odd numbers!) of Robovacation's The Body Shoppe. She's my FAVORITE, and her stories make me convulse with happiness. So if you're into that kind of stuff, go read her stories along with Little Storm's fics. They're beyond inspirational. Okay, so read this one first and review. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Neither Kuroshitsuji nor Twilight belong to me. Or is it belongs...urgh, grammar! **

Chapter Three:

Shoulder-length inky locks were dampened by an imperceptible layer of sweat and Sebastian's eyes were dark with disbelief as his nails clenched into his palm independent of his mind's will. The muscular body was completely rigid as the older teen deliberated with himself about whether or not he saw whatever it was under the eye patch correctly.

_Crap! He saw it!_ Ciel's pale face turned completely translucent at the thought. But, when he saw a sickening jar of preserved pinworms in Sebastian's line of sight, he deduced that it was the jar and not his eye that sent the older teen into shock. Ciel then took his seat next to the petrified male and unconsciously played with his thumbs. Little did the boy know, Sebastian was so preoccupied with what he believed he saw that he didn't even notice the worms.

"Okay kids, today we're going to be looking at the biological structure of the most beautiful, graceful, astounding creature on earth. The worm!" Some people groaned while a few girls in the class flinched at the sight.

Ciel gazed up at his new lab partner who had since relaxed into his seat. He thought about introducing himself again to the captivating and mysterious Sebastian, but refrained when he noticed that the teen was already staring at him. Ciel quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to repeat the scene from lunch, and willed his face to remain a natural color.

_BEEEP!_ The bell signaled the end of class and before it had even finished sounding, Sebastian was gone.

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><p>Vincent stood from his spot on the couch, where he had most likely spent his day, and stared at his son expectedly. "So, how was it?"<p>

"Fine, I guess." The teen's legs began to feel irritated from wearing dark jeans all day so a quick response was all he offered before turning to head to his room.

"Wait!" His father called loudly. He seldom got to speak to Ciel and such a short response left Vincent unsatisfied. "Uh…you hungry?" The older man pulled a random inquiry out of his question-arsenal just to hold his son in place for a moment longer. "A blonde boy and his family brought over a cake to welcome you to Forks. I think his name was Bard; he works in his parent's restaurant, my favorite one, as a chef. So I know it'll be really good if you want to have a slice now…" It was almost sad that Vincent had to practically beg his son to eat with him, but the obvious display of pleading went undetected by Ciel.

"Oh, yeah I met him in gym class. I'm not that hungry though, you can save it for later…or eat it yourself if you want." The boy cracked his toes as he kicked his shoes off and padded up the stairs.

"O-okay, see ya." The father retreated into the living room with his drink and stared with glazed eyes at the collection of his son's old school pictures.

Light slowly illuminated the small room as Ciel flicked on the ivory switch. He peeled the tight jeans off of his smooth legs and let out a breath as he adjusted to the freedom. It was unbelievably cold in his room, though, so he pulled a pair of navy sweatpants over his black boxers. Just as he was about to remove his eye patch, his discarded jeans started crawling across the floor. In one fluid motion, the teen grabbed them from under his bed and whipped out his iPhone from the back pocket. "Hey mom." Ciel threw the pants into his closet and reclined on his bed.

"Hi baby, how was your first day?" Her loving voice tingled in his ear as she spoke.

"Not too bad. Everyone was…welcoming." Thoughts flashed to Sebastian; his piercing eyes and unbelievably perfect visage. _Man, that guy was peculiar. I wonder what he thought about me…_Ciel let his mind wonder until he heard his mother's frantic voice.

"Ciel? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here…"

"Honey, are you okay?" She sounded genuinely worried.

"I'm just tired from today. I think I'm gonna go to sleep. Call me whenever, okay mom?" A soft yawn reached his mother's side of the line and she smiled, picturing her son's peaceful face.

"Okay then. Sweet dreams, kid."

After he saw that his mother had gone, he placed the phone and his eye patch on his nightstand and went to sleep as his thoughts unconsciously mulled over the striking red-eyed teen he met at school.

Ciel stood pensively at the front of his truck, which he had ironically nicknamed Faded Glory, and pretended to be indulging himself in the nonexistent music pulsing through his white ear buds. In truth, the boy searched fervently for the inky-haired teenager from biology, and when his eyes were rewarded with nothing he gave up. He did see Sebastian's group drive up in a silver open top hummer, but caught no glimpses of the one he was looking for. He retreated to his class like normal, hoping to see the teen another time.

However, days passed without Sebastian's presence. Ciel would see the short-haired girl with the long pale legs or the tall dark male that wore a headdress, but he would never see Sebastian. The recent group of four kept to themselves at the table with one empty seat, smirking into Ciel's back when he wasn't watching; keeping a secret from him, or laughing at a joke in which he was the punch line. _Maybe I'm imagining it. _He thought. Either way, something was off, Ciel noted, but he couldn't place his finger on what it was.

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><p>Iron enforced boots slammed against metal scaffolding, meeting the rain-soaked flooring with a sickening and desperate splatter that resembled the sound of one falling from a great height. Water cascaded violently from the open enclosure; a series of metal beams that served as a boathouse. The man that was running – literally for his life – was the security guard that had watched over the boats for years. He knew every twist and turn of the boathouse, but it was to no avail.<p>

Razor sharp teeth glinted in the night; the mouth that owned the fangs twisting into an unpropitious smirk as feline-esque eyes targeted the fleeing security guard. The predator leaped into the freezing air, feeling nothing but elation as he closed in on his prey.

The ungodly smear of red that catapulted through the downpour made the old guard's heart palpitate. The wind caressed his spine with her chilled fingers, making the hair on the back of his neck stand alert as he attempted to shield himself from whatever was after him with an abandoned row boat. For now, the inside of this decrepit wooden boat was his only refuge. The old man pressed his back against the planks and cursed softly when a stray piece of wood sliced his skin. Realizing his mistake in articulating, the man hurried to cover his mouth as if to retract the previous utterance from escaping his lips. Of course, he was petrified when he heard calm footsteps echoing towards him over the sound of the pouring rain, and nearly paralyzed as the footsteps halted in front of his hiding spot. A single transparent tear escaped his left eye.

_There he is._ The monstrous being chuckled inwardly and sniffed the air. "Is that…salt…I smell?" He said, knowing full well that the old man was under the boat. Yet still, he wanted to toy with his prey before completely obliterating it. Small, heaving gasps escaped the wooden concealment, and the hellion desired desperately to erupt with laughter as he taunted the old man. "Are you crying, old man? I hear you, but I don't see you. Why don't you come out for me so we can play?" The wooden boat began to shake with the man's silent cries. "Well now. That's not smart at all. Now I know where you are!" Within seconds, the boat was reduced to nothing but dust and the wailing security guard was exposed to the beast.

A leather-clothed hand confidently tossed a veil of blood-colored hair elegantly over one shoulder while the other hand adjusted crimson spectacles in order to scrutinize the prey. "Why, you aren't sexy at all. You looked much more attractive from afar but up close…you're just _old." _

The guard cringed at the sight of the attractive superior being. "P-please…don't hurt me! I have a family!" He cried, then spontaneously howled with lamentation. Not hearing a response, the old man lifted his head and groveled under his adversary. The foe was standing there, shuddering at his pathetic state. Pale yellow-green eyes narrowed into slits as the creature advanced towards him.

"It's time to die." Pulling out a rather loud and unusual contraption, the cadaverous phantom sunk the metal teeth of the tremulous machine into the old man, earning a bloodcurdling shriek from the human. As the sounds ceased, the creature brushed droplets of scarlet liquid from his black slacks.

Grell Sutcliffe hovered over the remains and looked on in high disappointment as a cinematic record the size of a camera roll emerged from the man's body. "Oh dear, what a waste." He moaned. "And the fool wasn't even cute!"

Twin footsteps sounded in the distance and Grell turned to face his comrades. "Did you get it?" One asked; his cold eyes remaining expressionless as he raised his black frames with a pair of menacingly large hedge clippers.

"Will!" The reaper squealed, ambling over to the dark haired man. "It was terrible! I was forced to waste time with this _atrocious_ human! But now that you're here…" He puckered his lips expectantly and somehow, wasn't surprised when his kiss was met with two gleaming metal blades. After shouting and staggering backwards from the pain, Grell pouted and tended to his swollen appendages as he was accosted by a teen with bi-colored hair.

"Did he ask you how you _felt_? He asked if you got it," The boy interrogated harshly, ignoring the way his orange top blew roughly over the black underside of his short hair. "So, Grell. Did you get it?" The boy looked at the red man through thin glass lenses.

"Yesh yesh, I got iff." Grell sighed as he heard his own muffled words, wishing Will had gone easier on his precious lips.

"Good. Well then, let's leave before someone comes to investigate." Will adjusted his glasses yet again and the three reapers vanished into the storm, leaving the mutilated corpse as the only sign of their existence.

* * *

><p>Ciel woke to the perturbing sound of his truck's engine entering the driveway, sputtering as it stopped. He slowly rolled over in bed and felt around the wooden desk for his phone. "Crap! How is it six fifty already?" The teen attempted to expel his boxers from his body with inhuman speed so that he would be able to shower in time, but ended up tripping inside them as they pooled carelessly around his ankles. Wood smacked his skin with a harsh splat. Luckily, by the sound of the truck's engine, Vincent was still outside and unaware of the mishap. <em>Maybe I'll just lay here for a while.<em> Ciel groaned. He felt as if he would lose the war against time anyway; no matter if he got ready expeditiously or stood completely still. So, the boy opted for the second alternative.

"Hey Ciel, are you ready? It's five to!" Vincent called softly from the foot of the stairs. A few seconds later, Ciel heard the television turn on.

The teen rose unenthusiastically, kicked the remaining cloth off of his body, and bolted into the shower.

Five more minutes passed before Ciel emerged from the bathroom, followed closely by an overabundance of steam.

"Ciel Phantomhive…" His father's voice bordered on condescending as he was urged to pick up his pace.

"Coming!" The boy yelled as he stepped into his room and replaced the fleecy towel around his sculpted waist with a pair of black jeans. He pulled on a white long-sleeved shirt and his usual black jacket, completely disregarding his dripping wet hair. Ciel tied his silk patch over his eye and ran down the stairs.

"I got you new tires…it's pretty icy outside and I wanted to make sure the truck could handle the weather." Vincent smiled, feeling rather accomplished.

"Wow thanks Vincent. I appreciate it." The teen flipped his hair as droplets of water scattered over the floor. He eyed the puddles on the linoleum and immediately regretted the action. "…Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, I have to get to work. An old security guard was killed by some kind of animal and they need me to investigate."

"Really…?" Ciel asked intrigued. "Be careful…"

"I will. Get to school you're already late. You be careful too!"

A strong hand slapped his back lovingly as the teen stepped into his truck. "Yep. Bye. See you later." He started the car and drove down the icy road, not dwelling too long on the thought of his father investigating cannibalistic animals.

* * *

><p>It was raining relentlessly by the time Ciel arrived at school, and his damp hair had been soaked when Bard jokingly shook his umbrella over his blue hair.<p>

"Much wetter than Arizona, huh?" The large student punched Ciel's arm playfully as he dangled another toothpick from his teeth.

Just as the boy entered the Biology room, he opened his mouth to respond but was immediately silenced. When his eye routinely scanned the seat next to his, he froze upon seeing that it was no longer empty. Sebastian was back.

**A/N: Yep. Wow how completely unexpected, Sebastian's back. Jeez, even M. Night Shyamalan wouldn't believe this twist. (That there...was sarcasm...another...bad joke...SOMEONE HELP ME THINK OF SOME HILARIOUS MATERIAL! I'm dying here...) Okay, so if you haven't completely stormed off and deemed this crack-fic unreadable...please review. Even if you have, just leave some suggestions. I don't believe I'm at the artistic level to threaten you guys with not updating until I get a certain number of reviews yet so don't worry about that! Lol! Did you all like how I cast the reapers? Let me know your thoughts before I extend my threats to cuter, more endangered species. Thanks! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: (More like Author's Really Long Letter…) It seems that we need to have a little chat. I cannot stress enough the indescribable feeling of accomplishment authors get when they get a lot of reviews! SO REVIEW! And to the people that have been reviewing, thank you so much! I literally stalk the story stats and refresh every five minutes to see if I got more….aha…anyways! This chapter follows the actual thing REAALLY closely since it's sort of a crucial aspect of the plot, (deal with it) but after this it's going to separate from the actual "Twilight" thing a bit more so this cracular-fic won't be a rewrite of Twilight. Yes I just made that word up. OK it's reading time now.**

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><p>Bard's musings drifted in and out of Ciel's ears as he made his way to his Biology seat. Sebastian's eyes were a gentle maroon shade today; a stark contrast from the blackness that inhabited them days before.<p>

"Hello…" The deep seductive voice caused Ciel to turn towards the older teen instantly. "I apologize in regards to the other day. I was…rather preoccupied with something. I'm Sebastian Michaelis, and you're Ciel Phantomhive; if I'm not mistaken." It wasn't a question.

As his cerulean eyes lingered over Sebastian's face, Ciel called upon every ounce of his willpower to keep from stuttering. "Y-yes." He had failed himself incontrovertibly. A microscope was slapped onto the lab table in front of his face.

"Phantomhive, please try your best to pay attention. You and Michaelis will be completing this lab today, even if it requires extra time in detention." The teacher's eyebrows rose with warning.

Sebastian turned to the teacher, saving the younger boy from answering. "I assure you sir; completing this lab within the required class time will not be a problem." He smiled, flashing an immaculate row of pearly white teeth.

Even the teacher was taken aback by the impeccable nature of the boy, and simply nodded before leaving the pair alone to do the lab.

"This one is an anaphase." Sebastian started, wasting no time with the lab.

"How did you conclude that so fast? Let me see." Ciel leaned over to Sebastian's side of the desk, accidentally breathing in his intoxicating scent. _Mmm…he smells so…_A light blush decorated his cheeks ever so faintly, and a forced cough from the older boy set his mind in the right direction. _What am I thinking! This is so awkward!_ Ciel argued with himself inwardly as he returned to his side and clenched his hands into fists to reprimand his thought process. He grabbed the microscope from Sebastian and stared into it, still somewhat flustered. This lab was the same exact one he had done last year at his old school. "Yeah, you're right." He changed the slides. "And this is prophase."

Thin lips curled into an attractive grin as Sebastian held out a hand, asking silently for the microscope so he could affirm Ciel's assumption. "What do you know. You're right." The microscope was gently pushed to Ciel's side once again, and Sebastian smiled at the boy's snide comment.

"Of course I am."

"So. What's your favorite class so far?" Jet-black hair shielded the intrigue in Sebastian's eyes as he questioned the new kid.

Speaking about Arizona, Washington, and the contrasting weather between the two states was tiring for the boy, and he couldn't even count on his fingers and toes how many students asked him the same redundant question. So, when Sebastian had made himself stand out with such a unique question - compared to the others - it was a welcome change. Nevertheless, it was a question centered on his least favorite topic. "Can we not talk about school…?"

"Okay then. What would you like to talk about instead?"

"Let's talk about you…" Ciel's voice trailed off as he tapped his finger on the desk and stared at the stone tabletop. "Where were you this week?" He mumbled.

"You noticed?" Sebastian raised a dark brown in amusement. When the boy nodded, he grinned and sat forward in his seat. "I was sick."

"I don't buy that." _What did I just say?_ "I mean…you seem to have recovered too fast, that's all."

"You're right." Sebastian stared out the window into the heavy precipitation then turned to face his lab partner. "My guardians let me skip."

The extremely honest comment made Ciel's eye widen. "No way! Why'd they do that?" He whispered, turning to meet his classmate's alluring eyes. Just then, the bell rang and the students began to pack up. Ciel was about to follow Bard and Finny out of the room, but out of a small tinge of capriciousness, decided to walk with Sebastian instead.

"Long story." The black haired student stood, surprising Ciel with his height, and walked alongside him down the hallway. His muscles weren't easily concealed by the fitted grey shirt he wore, and he caught the younger boy staring with what he figured was jealousy. "What about you, then? Where were you before you wound up in this rain-storm of a town?"

There they were again; Sebastian's soul-ravaging eyes, staring straight through him. "I…" Ciel started, but was denied a response as the class bell rang, causing Sebastian to smile and retreat down the hallway. The teen stood against the lockers, mesmerized, as all the students left for class. The lewdness of the late bell in his ear accompanied by the silence of the empty hallway brought him back to reality yet again. "SHIT!" He cursed, kicking a booted foot into an unsuspecting locker. "That damned guy…" Every time he was in the same room as the student, he would turn into a complete loser. _This Sebastian character must have some impractical ability to turn people into homos or something. _Ciel snickered in denial at his comment and headed to class after flipping his hood up and shoving a hand roughly into his pocket.

* * *

><p>"Finally! The day's over!" Bard walked out of the double doors, stretching as he purposely blocked his friends from exiting the building.<p>

"Hey, watch it!" Mei attempted to shove past the blonde's athletic frame.

"Aw, come on Bardroy." Finny pleaded. When the ripped blonde started flexing his muscles in front of the doorway, Finny shoved an impatient arm into Bard's back that sent him tumbling down the stairs.

Lizzy squeaked as she saw the well-built blonde lying in a heap at the bottom of the cement stairs. "You okaaaaaay?" She called innocently.

"Finny, I'm GOING TO KILL YOU!" Bard roared once he stood up.

"Ruuuunnnn!" Mei squawked as she grabbed Elizabeth and Finny and took off past the aching Bardroy into the parking lot.

Ciel heard the loud giggles echoing through the otherwise calm parking lot as he searched for his keys in each of his pockets. He found his iPod and put the ear buds in, then continued to search for the elusive keys.

The Indian teens were standing across the lot with the other members of Sebastian's group, chatting softly to each other about this and that while the red-eyed male stood propped up against his shining black corvette. He wondered what his lab partner could be looking for so hopelessly before the ear-shattering screech of tires against asphalt alerted him to a blue van. The car was reeling across the parking lot as it headed straight for Ciel.

_Where are these damn keys? I know I had them somewhere earlier…_Ciel's face was completely engulfed by his backpack as he rummaged through books and pens for the key to leaving this horrid school for the day. He heard a screech and dismissed it as his earphones going bad until he heard a horn honk wildly. Taking his head out of his bag to see what was happening, Ciel turned towards the ruckus and went completely rigid as his legs were frozen to the ground. Abberline's blue van was coming straight for him.

In a split second, he felt himself being pulled down by something large and he was sure he had been hit. SLAM! He heard the sound of bending metal; presumably the van curling around his already paralyzed body and sandwiching him between his red truck. When he finally opened his eyes, he was amazed to see at least an arms length of space between himself and the two cars. _But then…what happened?_ Ciel brought his eyes up to witness the perplexing sight of a pale muscular arm holding the van away from him. A considerable dent was made from the impact. _No human could have stopped a car…_His deep blue eye followed the milky skin up the arm and the teen was completely flabbergasted when he saw whom that hand belonged to. _Oh shit! Sebastian!_

Crimson eyes peered into azure irises once again, and the older teen looked just as shocked as Ciel was, if not more. Slowly, Sebastian stood and leapt out from between the cars to run away.

Soon enough, every student and staff member in the school was crowded around the two cars as they all rushed to see if the new kid had survived the calamity.

Abberline leaned towards Ciel from his car window; a steady stream of blood pulsed from his brown locks and onto his pale forehead. "Oh my god! Ciel Phantomhive! I'm so sorry! I- I don't know what happened!"

"Ciel! Are you okay? Where does it hurt?" Lizzy screamed.

Mei, Bard, and Finny followed soon after, questioning Ciel about half-a-million things. The blue-haired teen refrained from answering any questions. He simply rose and searched the crowd for his savior, who was nowhere to be found. Ciel only stopped searching when he heard a soft clinking that managed to be heard over the din of students screaming at him. The boy leaned over and picked up the objects, realizing they had fallen out of his iPod case. "Ah, there are my keys." He said, and then collapsed onto Mei as blood trickled from the back of his head.

* * *

><p>Vincent Phantomhive burst through the hospital doors into his son's shared room and surpassed all the other children in a b-line for Ciel.<p>

"I'm soooorrrryyy!" Fred Abberline cried, reaching out a blood stained hand to Ciel. "Forgive me!"

_What a fool._ The boy thought, but nodded nonetheless. He spotted his father rushing towards him and groaned, knowing full well that Vincent had already told his apprehensive mother. "Hey, Vincent."

"Young man, I thought I told you to be careful!" The dark hair around Vincent's face did nothing to hide the agitation and concern that littered his expression. "Are you feeling alright?" He pressed a hand to Ciel's forehead, earning a pained groan.

"Ow…I'll be fine." Ciel lifted his left eye and looked towards his doctor. The angelic yet masculine face of the man reminded him of Sebastian in some way, although the two did not truly resemble each other. They were complete opposites, in fact, besides the extremely pristine features. Dr. Ash had snow white hair - although he did not look a day over twenty-nine - and soft amethyst eyes that were a stark contrast from Sebastian's smoldering irises.

"Dr. Ash, good to see you again. Is my Ciel okay?" Vincent asked, shaking hands with the strikingly handsome doctor.

"Mr. Phantomhive," Ash started, smiling warmly. "Ciel's fine. He had a slight abrasion to the back of the head but with the medicine I gave him it will heal in no time. He's good to go home now."

"Thank God." The father let out a giant sigh and patted his son's shoulder.

"It could've been much worse if Sebastian wasn't there to save me." The words slipped out of Ciel's mouth unconsciously.

"Your son was there?" Vincent's eyes widened.

"Sebastian's your son?" Ciel questioned, but stopped trying to comprehend the new information immediately as his injury throbbed.

"You could say he's my adopted son." Ash laughed, then clicked his pen across the medical chart. "You're good to go, Ciel. Don't hesitate to call the hospital if you experience any problems."

"Thanks." Vincent and Ciel replied simultaneously.

The worried father helped the blue haired teen off the stretcher and the two walked out of the doors together. "I uh…called you mother. So you might want to give her a ring to tell her you're still alive."

"Thanks _dad._" An azure eye rolled as Ciel spat sarcastically.

"Isn't that Ash's kid?" Vincent mentioned, pointing subtly at Sebastian who was only a ways off with his friends.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go thank him for saving my ass."

"…Okay. Oh, hey, watch your language Ciel!" Vincent brought a finger to his lips. "That's what dads are supposed to say, right?" It had been a while since Ciel was in his care, and in all honesty his parenting skills were wearing thin.

"Sure. Well, I'll meet you at home, kay? Thanks for worrying about me." Ciel walked towards the black-haired teen, not even bothering to glance back at his father.

"See ya." The floor squeaked as Vincent turned on his heel to head in the other direction.

Hiding behind a wall, Ciel waited patiently while he listened to the conversation that was conspiring between Sebastian and the Chinese male. Lao paused, seeing Ciel's unmistakable blue hair protruding from the wall. He motioned to the wall and Sebastian gracefully made his way over.

"I can see you, you know." Sebastian teased with a grin.

"I knew that…" The teen trailed off, shoving a hand into his tight pocket and turned to in the general direction of Sebastian's voice. "I came to thank you for saving me. I would've probably been dead right now if it weren't for you so…. you know…. thanks and all that." Ciel couldn't bring himself to look into those eyes again.

"Don't thank me, I didn't do anything for you."

"What do you mean!" He had to risk it to see if the older boy's expression hinted at a joke. As his eye analyzed Sebastian's face, Ciel found that it was completely serious. "I saw you, with this eye." He pointed to his large blue eyeball. "How did you get to me that fast anyway…"

"I didn't. I was standing right next to you the whole time."

"Were not."

"Was too." Sebastian grinned at how childish his words sounded, and his thin lips erupted into a full-blown smile once he saw how much the pouting Ciel looked like a child.

"Either way…thank you." The boy said again, turning away and propping his booted foot up on the wall. He saw Sebastian nod out of the corner of his eye. _Ha. I win. _Ciel thought to himself.

"I have to go." The muscular teen adjusted his leather jacket and waltzed down the hallway, leaving Ciel without reasoning.

"Bye, I guess…" The younger boy trailed off, and then shook his head vigorously when he realized he was talking to himself. _I swear! This guy is so irritating!_ He told his mind, but it didn't believe a single word.

* * *

><p>When Ciel had gotten home, Vincent had wanted to keep him from going to school the next day in fear that the boy would end up in the hospital again. Although Ciel had explained that he would most likely still get hurt even if he lived out the remainder of his life in a padded cell, Vincent was skeptical. The boy's mother had been worse.<p>

"Seriously, Ciel I mean it!" Rachel's usually light tone came across as remarkably stern when she used her

mom-voice.

"There's no way I can avoid going to the parking lot for an entire year. That's ridiculous." His mother had been pestering him with random absurdities for half an hour now, and the boy was tempted to simply hang up. _If I leave in the middle of a sentence I can just tell her my phone died when she calls back tomorrow…_his pale finger inched towards the end button as he formulated a completely unrelated - but much needed - exit phrase.

"OH! Wait, before I forget," She interrupted, and Ciel slapped his palm against his face as he felt another half-hour rant coming on.

"Mom! I gotta go. School tomorrow, remember? …Love you. Bye." Silence caressed the boy like a fleece blanket as he finally pressed the end button and sighed with relief. "Thank God that's over with…" He flinched when his phone vibrated; it was a text from Rachel.

"_Ok, ok. I was just going 2 say that u should probably e-mail Grammy…I sort of told her what happened 2day. Luv u!"_

A small whine escaped his lips as he imagined whom else his parents told about the incident. "SERIOUSLY?" Ciel couldn't believe it; his family was insane.

"You okay?" He heard Vincent call from his room down the hall.

"Yeah. Night!" Apparently he would have to deal with this continuous monitoring from his family longer than he had expected.

It was almost one in the morning, and as Ciel blankly surveyed his ceiling again, his unconsciousness overflowed with Sebastian's presumably super-human arm. _What kind of drugs was this guy taking?_ Ciel thought there could be no other explanation. _It has to be that. Or else, he's a sub-human species._ He laughed out loud at that last thought; Sebastian Michaelis was definitely human. Or, was he?

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><p><strong>AN: Like the answer to that question couldn't get any more obvious. Sowwieeee that chapter screamed rewrite…. but Hell. It's going to get better. And hey, it's not my fault Ciel thinks rude things and curses like a sailor. Oh, by the way, I got a new one for you guys: What kind of horse is good at poetry? Edgar Allan Pony! Ahaahaha! Ok. REVIEW! Bye. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything Kuro or Twilight...Maybe I just won't mention the word Twilight. Maybe THEN I'll get more reviews... _**

**A/N: Warning! Extreme crack chap coming up! I have no idea what possessed me to write this OOC insanity…. but still. It's up to you to tell me how you feel about it. Kind of a long chapter. (At least… 'Word' makes it look long...Eh, it's not really long.) I think I should start providing a free dictionary with each chapter, what do you think? Crack-tastic. **

Excruciating pain circulated through Ciel's body as he thrashed about, struggling to free himself from the metal chains that bound him to the cement table. Around him, everything was black except for the three pairs of incandescent eyes that loomed over him. He tried not to stare into the ruthless blood-colored irises of his assailants, but failed when a strong hand encased in white gloves grabbed his face, forcing him to stare into the cruel eyes.

"Such a young child…" The hand's owner murmured, instilling fear into Ciel with each articulated syllable. "…and such a _delectable_ fragrance emulating from the soul…tell me, little robin. How is it that someone your age has this most desirable essence?" Ivory fabric traced his cheek; the other hand still preventing him from moving away. When no answer came, that hand jerked the boy's head up so it was merely inches away from the other's serrated sneer. Strands of blonde hair fell around the man, irritating Ciel's bare skin. "Answer when you are spoken to! Don't you have any manners?"

On the verge of spitting in the man's eye, Ciel shut both of his large sapphire orbs to quell the urge to do just that. He wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up in such a place, but by the way things were conspiring, all he wanted to do was to leave.

"Aleister. Stop that." The gloved hands instantly loosened their hold and Ciel's head dropped, slamming into the ice-cold cement. As he cried out in pain, the coarse voice continued to instruct the gloved blonde. "We wouldn't want you tainting the soul, now would we? Heh heh…" Acuate black nails drummed restlessly on Aleister's equally dark robe.

"Get your hands off me Undertaker." The former Viscount brushed his dignitary's nails from his ebony-clad shoulder and turned to the final person that resided in the boundless blackness. "Drossel, what's your position on the matter?"

The head of unruly orange hair dropped sideways, tilting at an impossible angle. "So then I thought to myself, we should kill the child and devour the soul before it expires."

"Ah! What a delightful idea!" Aleister's bright tone contrasted greatly with the sinister nature of his being at that moment. "Shall we?" He turned to his leader.

Five black talons combed through pearly hair as Undertaker pondered the suggestion. "I don't see why not, heh."

Ciel's small heart palpitated when the three cloaked beings approached him with the most inauspicious of looks, each resembling a ravenous dog as they hovered over his exposed body. He resisted the impulse to scream until a knife of the most deleterious nature was revealed. "N-no! Don't!" His juvenile body convulsed wildly within the rusty metal confines.

"Hold him down." Undertaker snapped coolly, and the other two complied without hesitation. Ciel's pleads increased in quantity and volume, but the knife plunged into his sensitive skin nonetheless. Agony coursed through him and sent his vitals into a spasm as his ear shattering shrieks fell on deaf ears. He could feel the hot sticky liquid pooling at his back, and the blade in his side was twisted in tormenting circles inside his laceration.

"He's not dying." Drossel brought a wooden hand up to Ciel's heaving chest to try and examine his heartbeat.

"This one's stronger than I thought! He won't die easily." The blonde scoffed and gripped the boy's shoulders harder. "I say we just extract the soul now."

"While he's still alive? You know better, Aleister. There are plenty of complications that could arise." Through the darkness, Ciel could discern Undertaker's black nails rubbing his pale chin as he thought. "Are you willing to take such a risk?" Both entities looked at the third, questioning his suddenly ignited passion.

"I want it now! His soul is beckoning to me like a beautiful siren; I couldn't possibly wait any longer!" Whining ostentatiously, Aleister cradled his own face while still using the other hand to push harshly on Ciel's shoulder.

"Ciel Phantomhive; he will make a beautiful feast." Every so often, the wooden extremity would twitch over the boy's skin in anticipation.

Undertaker speculated for only a second more and then with a subtle flick of his wrist, gave the other two the permission they had yearned for.

Ciel cringed, the fallen tears that flooded his vision becoming thicker as more joined them. His pulsating wound no longer tormented him as numbness washed over each muscle. Helplessness surged inside him as Druitt peeled his right eye open.

"It's alright robin; it'll all be over soon." The boy possessed enough intelligence to realize that it would _not _be over soon.

The aggressor began to chant expeditiously, and a scorching sensation swept across Ciel's right eye that made him screech in misery. He wished for death to come quickly, knowing that it would be a welcome escape from this anguish.

Intolerable pain masked the light brush of the silver strands across his stomach as Undertaker leaned over him in curiosity. "Well what do you know, hee hee, it's working quite well after all." He curved closer to the boy and examined the once azure eyeball. "Look, the seal is already starting to form."

Suddenly, Druitt's chanting stopped and the room trembled, spurred by some unknown force. All of the cloaked bodies burst into a frenzied panic as they realized what was happening.

"Ciel Phantomhive's body is rejecting the incantation…" Drossel's monotone didn't waver, even in the face of this catastrophe.

"Is that even possible?" The blonde's face was stained with vexation as his head darted out to interrogate his superior.

Ear-shattering clangs were heard beyond the darkness as the area began to cave in. "I'm afraid so; we need to leave. Now, before a worse fate befalls us." He gathered his flowing cloak and began to run in an uncharted direction as Drossel followed close behind.

Only the former Viscount was left brooding over Ciel's unconscious form; his glazed eyes darting from the mutilated, naked body to the encompassing darkness. Finally, he made a decision. "It seems that I won't be able to enjoy your soul tonight, little robin; but I will be back." Hastily, a gloved digit nudged Ciel's lidded right eye, and the blonde disappeared into the abyss to follow his confidants.

Ciel still lay chained to the table, unconscious due to the sheer malady of it all, unaware of the impending doom around him. Above him, a boulder began to come loose. It unfastened from the canopy of calignosity – it was making a racket loud enough to wake him – and plummeted towards the twelve-year-old, right as his eyes opened.

Then, Ciel woke up.

Droplets of clear water blotched his cheeks, and upon noticing his tears, he wiped them away pridefully. There was that dream again. Except; it wasn't a dream. Ciel didn't even have the privilege of calling it a nightmare. The truth was that the so called reoccurring _dream_ that had been haunting him, was nothing less than fact; a vivid memory that sometimes eluded the repressive borders his subconsciousness had built to escape it. The amaranthine seal that burdened his right eye was proof enough, and so he kept it hidden.

He sunk into the pillows, meditating his astonishing escape from that place; how he had survived and returned home way back then was still inexplicable to him. The only thing that was certain was his parents' aloofness upon his return.

He was only a pre-teen at the time, and was sure that he had been missing for over a month. Weren't parents supposed to be sad if their child went missing? But Ciel's parents had not shown the slightest tinge of uneasiness; according to them, he had only been gone an hour. What had bewildered the child the most was Vincent's explanation for his dysfunctional eye and scarred side.

"We need to invest in a set of helmets and knee-pads for you, kid." Vincent had said after Ciel had awoken in his bed. The child had exerted most of his remaining energy in a fervent effort to tell his father what had just happened to him, but his father had simply laughed. "You always have such a colorful imagination! Don't worry Ciel. It was just a bad dream." And when the boy had ordained to prove that his account was true by opening his eye, the organ would grant him no such justice, and it remained shut. At that claim, the father had placed a calming hand on his son's shoulder. "Son, don't speak such nonsense. A man with really white hair brought you home…he explained everything; how were playing with Alois and how you fell into the ravine. Remember?"

Ciel had then worn both desperation and aggravation simultaneously on his face. That was not what had happened at all, and his father wasn't even trying to listen to his information! Alois hadn't even stayed with him for two minutes that day.

"Anyways, it's a good thing that guy's son was studying medicine or who knows what might have happened to you?" After giving the boy a kiss on the forehead, Vincent had risen from the bed's edge. Ciel was left alone as he vowed get to the bottom of the matter – even if he had to do so alone.

Five years later, the teen was no closer to reaching his goal than he had been the moment his father left that room. He didn't know where to start; Alois hadn't seen anything, his eye had been bonded shut by an unexplainable force until he swore to hide its contents from everyone else, and the mysterious white haired man that returned him to his family was still unknown. Ciel sighed heavily. He hadn't thought about the incident for a while now, and the haunting memory only reminded him that he was still unsure what had happened. It was starting to really piss him off. Eventually, he would get the answers; but for now, he would just have to wait patiently until the answers came to him. Through the mirror across from his bed, he noticed the subtle glow of the seal staring back at him; it would forever remain a reminder of his unaccomplished goal.

Although Ciel knew he had to get to school early that morning, he dared not look at the clock. _If that clock says I'm late…_Warmth surrounded him as he turned under the covers towards the digital timekeeper, threatening it silently.

_6:02._

A relieved exhale was pushed through his lungs as relaxation lulled him back to sleep.

"Wake UP!" Freezing cold hands grabbed at Ciel's tepid form and dragged him from his velutinous fortress.

Imploring grumbles sounded from the teenage heap underneath the royal blue comforter as Vincent forcefully – and unsuccessfully – tried to lure his son out of bed. "Ughhhh. Come back later."

"There is no _later_ Ciel! You're late!"

Cerulean strands slid out from the top of the sheets, but the teen's face was still hidden. "I'm early." Came the muffled reply.

"Ciel Phantomhive! It's seven o'clock! Don't you argue with me about how _early_ you are! Now get going!" In a fit of desperation, Vincent had slipped into a heated, fatherly rage.

Silence. One covert eyeball slipped out just enough to inspect the clock. It blinked once or twice upon seeing the numbers on display, then Ciel's head shrunk back out of sight.

"…Ciel?" Vincent had half a mind to pull the covers completely off the boy, but the smarter, more experienced half advised him otherwise.

"SSSHHHHIIIIIIITTTT!" He shouted raspily as his father jumped at the ambush of obscene sound. "NOT AGAIN!" Ciel emerged from his blankets pouting as his face was reddened from his loud screams.

"Calm down! Calm…down." The older male sat on the edge of the bed, careful to keep just enough distance between himself and his son, just in case the latter decided that he wanted to strangle someone. "Don't worry about it. If you leave now you might be lucky enough to get there ten minutes late."

Still grumbling, Ciel hopped out of bed and began to get ready. Even in his current state of annoyance, he judged his movements meticulously so that his father wouldn't see his naked eye.

"Seems like you got this one. I'll be downstairs if you need me before you go." The father smiled, but as soon as he was at the foot of the stairs, unexpurgated exhaustion ambushed his features. "Teenagers." He scoffed, and then sat at his usual spot on the couch.

* * *

><p><em>Wow. How the Hell did I get here so fast? <em>The dashboard's ancient chronometer spelled Victory with three simple numbers: 7:05.

"Hey! There you are! Hurry up the bus is leaving right now!" Finny waved from the center of the parking lot where the entire biology class was lined up beside a charter bus.

"Go ahead I'll be right there." Before Ciel joined his class, he checked one last time to make sure his keys were in his pocket.

"Phantomhive! The bus is leaving n-o-w, whether you're on it or not!" The teacher yelled from the bus' open door.

"I'm coming!" He yelled, and he heard some kids laughing. _Seriously? How immature. _As he stepped on to the large bus, he began searching for an empty seat next to one of his friends and was only met with Finny's apologetic smile.

"Ah, Sorry Ciel." The boy was sandwiched between Bard and Mei; Lizzy had even already taken the extra seat in the row. "They sort-of sat down before you got here…"

"That's okay, you don't have to appologi-" His eye twitched slightly as the reason for Finny's apology became apparent.

Seeing Ciel's reaction, the small blonde knew exactly what had caused him to stop. "Sorry." He whispered, softly patting the still teen on the arm.

"You did this on purpose!" Ciel shot the blonde a burning glare out of the corner of his eye as he whispered harshly.

Finny turned his own eyes down in shame as Mei jumped in to save him. "Let him off, Ciel. It's not his fault!"

"Exactly, it's your fault for gettin' here late!" Bard exclaimed with a laugh.

Elizabeth felt the negative energy circulating through the group and attempted to change the subject. "Well, think of it this way: Now you get to spend an hour on a bus next to Sebastian~" She turned to Mei and the two _Oooo_'d together.

"You make it sound like a good thing."

"Ciel, must I tell you again to sit down?" After only a few days at school, the teacher had already labeled Ciel as the class delinquent.

"Sorry!" He turned to his friends "You guys are going to get it." He said in a low, menacing voice.

He walked towards the back of the bus where – of course – the only seat left was next to the raven-haired teen. "Hey. Anyone sitting here…?" _Of course not; nobody else is left in the class except me…_

"No, go ahead." Sebastian seemed indifferent as he faced the window.

"Thanks…"

The bus drove off and Ciel turned to the window to notice the quickly greying sky. This was going to be a long hour.

_WAIT! I have my iPod! Thank Godddd. _He fumbled with the cord as he pulled it out of his bag, relief washing over him like the rain that begun to fall gently outside. He turned it on, bringing the buds up to his ears in anticipation, and…. dead. Of all times his iPod chose to die, why did it have to be now? He felt defeated.

"Are you okay?"

The voice startled him; he didn't actually think Sebastian was paying any attention to what he was doing. "Yeah…stupid iPod died on me." He pouted and rattled it around, as if shaking it would bring it back to life.

"Same here." In the other teen's hand was an iPod that readily displayed the _no battery_ symbol across its face. Apparently Ciel wasn't the only one who was worried about the awkwardness of this bus ride – or maybe the guy just wanted to listen to some music. Ciel didn't know which, but either way, he realized that talking to Sebastian was going to be the only option.

"So…" He scowered the depths of his mind to come up with something of value but came up empty-handed. "Well, I got nothing." When he heard the other expressing amusement calmly, Ciel spun around so quickly that the two brushed against each other. "What's your problem?" He snapped, not noticing the sudden coolness of another arm against his hoodie.

Immediately, Sebastian veiled the obviously entertained expression as he moved his arm away. "Nothing…it just looked like you were going to collapse from thinking so hard about what to say to me."

"I was not!" Ciel shouted, earning intrusive looks from the entire bus. "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." He crossed his arms and put his hood up to eclipse his embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. Are you feeling better from the other day? Ash told me you had gotten hurt."

Still squinting at the carpeted floor in anger, Ciel offered a response. "Uh, yeah everything's fine now."

"Good…" The conversation was getting nowhere, and Sebastian was about to give up on speaking to the boy.

However; Ciel still had unanswered questions. "So, do you want to tell me how you saved me so easily?" His question pulled a sound of agitation from the older teen.

"No."

He broke the intensifying relationship between his eye and the carpet to glower at Sebastian. "I think you want to." He challenged. "And I think you're going to tell me before this stupid field trip is over."

An indistinct flash of attentiveness moved across Sebastian's eyes. "Alright. Let's play a little game." He saw Ciel instantly perk up at the notion. "If you can guess how I was able to do it correctly, then I'll let you know."

"Sounds fair enough…and if I don't?"

There was a short absence of sound between the two as Sebastian ruminated his response. "Then I guess you'll never know."

The younger boy laughed. "You're on." They shared a combative smile and shook hands to solidify the deal. "So can I start guessing now?"

Sebastian shook his head, mocking Ciel's ambition. "So determined, aren't we. I suppose you can; if you really think you'll be able to win this little game."

Ciel cracked his knuckles in pseudo-anticipation. "Oh, you have no idea."

**A/N: Cractacular! Agreed? Ugh. Why are Viscount Druitt, Undertaker, and Drossel Cainz/Keinz cast as the Volturi? I DON'T KNOW! (I didn't have any characters left waaahhh…) It's fanfiction; I can do whatever I want. Eh, just review and let's never speak of this again. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: …!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing that relates to Kuro or…that other thing….belongs to me. **

**Side Note: (Can you do side notes on Ff.n? Oh well.) Hey! You! Support "Kony 2012" if you haven't already. It's a really good cause. (Google it) I saw a few people on Deviant Art supporting it so you should too! **

**This rather lengthy chapter is OOC-lukewarm-insanity, and was brought to you by the letter S. **

Half-hour later, an overexerted Ciel continued to spit out determined guesses while Sebastian sat contently next to him; eyes closed and lips turned upward in victory.

"Atomic radiation?"

"No."

"Extraterrestrial intervention-"

"Not even close."

"Hmm…lab accident, genetic mutation, supernatural bugs?"

"What exactly do you take me for?" Sebastian crossed his arms behind his head, knowing the right answer would never leave the boy's lips.

"Well then, are you a Demigod, Changeling, or a member of the X-Men?"

At that assumption, there was nothing left for the older male to do but shake his head and sigh.

"Male Succubus?"

Sebastian's eyes snapped open at that assumption. "…What?"

"Never mind that one…" Ciel turned his head down in deep thought. Although Sebastian was extremely attractive – whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not - he should have known that option to be unreasonable. "Aha! I got it. Don't draw attention to yourself by freaking out when I tell you this…."

"I'm listening…" By the overly excited expression on his classmate's face, Sebastian didn't know whether to be worried or to laugh. The words that were about to escape the other's lips would either expose him for what he truly was, or entertain him due to their utter ridiculousness.

"Sebastian Michaelis…" Ciel stared energetically into the eyes that held so much power over him. "You were able to save me because…. you're an angel."

"…." It was obviously the latter, Sebastian realized. But instead of laughing at the teen he decided to keep silent, relax into his chair, and hope that they would reach the National Park soon.

"I got it didn't I!" A sense of accomplishment permeated Ciel as he almost sprung out of the velvety maroon bus seat.

"You're dwelling too much on the wrong side of the spectrum." With an enticing yet somewhat sullen smirk, Sebastian turned to Ciel, the slight pain behind his eyes going undiscovered. "Everything you've said so far has been focused on intrepidity. Well…_almost_ everything." He unwillingly remembered Ciel's second to last guess and shuddered. "You've neglected to explore the vindictive approaches…"

"What do you mean?" His pale nose scrunched up childishly as he contemplated the other individual's response. _Maybe there's enough time to find a dictionary and look up some of the words he just said…_

But, in the next instant, the bus pulled up to a sign that read Olympic National Park and then stopped.

"Okay people, we have now arrived at one of the United States' largest National Parks!" The teacher smiled to himself as he enthusiastically raised both arms into the air. "There's plenty of biological work to be done here, so hurry up and get off this bus already!" He stood back when the door opened as if to allow the students to stampede out of the bus.

Of course, for an assembly of high-school students, the most energetic display of feeling they could collect in honor of this excursion was a dull, forced, "Yaaayy…" as they shuffled on to the site.

"Stick together children! The Shi Shi Beach Bald Eagles won't be afraid to snatch you up if you get separated from the group." He laughed at his own lame joke, then led the crowd towards the water.

Ciel pouted up at Sebastian as they stepped off the bus and followed their teacher. "So, what does this mean?"

The enigmatic male placed a consolatory hand on Ciel's shoulder and stopped walking to apologize satirically. "I'm so sorry, but I guess you'll never know how I did it." With that, he strolled off to catch up with the class, leaving Ciel gawking at his straight foreword answer.

"Hey! Wait up…" He called, but Sebastian was already too far ahead to hear. "He gets more and more irritating each time I talk to him!" Not wanting to be left behind, Ciel sped after the class; the rosy tint of irritation slowly darkening his face.

* * *

><p>"As you can see here, the eco-system is in full swing!" The teacher's words came out muffled as he ventured to speak from under his thick raincoat. He held up an undulating starfish for all to see, then quickly placed it back into the murky water.<p>

Ciel felt a small tap on his shoulder and was surprised to see Finny and the others behind him with remorse written all over their faces.

"Hey, Ciel…" The smaller blonde drew circles in the wet sand with his toes as he confronted his friend. "You're not mad at us, are you?" Three pairs of apprehensive eyes peered at him from behind the blonde.

"Of course not. Sebastian's not half bad once you hold a conversation with him." He downplayed his true impression of the other immensely, but to his friends, he seemed truthful enough.

"Ah that's great!" Lizzy emerged relieved as the other two relinquished Finny as a barrier. Her colossal emerald gaze found Sebastian and some other students observing a turtle across the grey beach. "I guess you're right Ciel, he looks like he's thinking about you as we speak."

A blue vein pulsated rather conspicuously on Ciel's forehead as Mei supported the previous claim. "Yup! I think so too!"

The two girls giggled and Bard rolled his eyes. "You know what, this biology beach crap is making me want to go to a real spot and party! I say we hit up La Push later; you guys in?"

Champagne curls bounced as Lizzy hopped elatedly. "Oh! Yes, yes, yes!" She squealed and grabbed Ciel's arm roughly. "It would be absolutely cute! Please come, Ciel! Trust me, it's so much fun!"

After delicately detaching from Elizabeth, Ciel turned to Bard. "What's that…?"

"Only the most amazing beach ever! It's hard to explain; just come see for yourself. Lizzy use to practice her archery and swordsmanship there so she knows it better than we do." Bard was delighted when the said blonde blushed at the mention of her pastime activity.

"Cool…maybe I'll check it out." Ciel wasn't truly paying attention to Bard's explanation. He was absorbed in making plans about how to ask Sebastian to join them. _I have to learn his secret…and the more time I get with him the closer I'll be._

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Bard flashed a brilliant grin before the teacher called everyone back to the biological aspects of the beach. "Eh, better get back to…whatever it is we're supposed to be doing."

Despite the coarse wind that tousled Ciel's hair and littered it with salty water droplets, he nodded and grabbed a fist full of seaweed, pretending to examine it fruitfully as he decided what to say on the bus ride home.

* * *

><p>When the time did arrive, he sat patiently on the maroon cushions and waited for Sebastian to show up.<p>

It wasn't hard to distinguish the statuesque framework of the person of interest, and as Sebastian strode towards him and finally sat next to him, the younger teen began to grow anxious.

He decided that it was best to speak quickly before he changed his mind. "Hey…we're all going to this beach later, just so we can use a beach for what it's actually meant for instead of all this biological stuff." A damp blue strand stuck to his face, but in his state of impatience, he let it be.

"And what would that be…?" Intrigue embellished the small upward curve of the other's lips.

Ciel paused, putting a thoughtful finger to his mouth. "Actually, I'm not really sure yet…. but Bardroy says it's unbelievably unique. So…you should come." _Why was it so hard to ask him…_

"I'll have to see what I'm doing later, then." He unfurled a full grin. "So, which beach is this?"

"La Push."

"I'm busy."

In an effort to seem like he couldn't care less about Sebastian's prompt blow-off and remain cool, Ciel feigned indifference. "No big deal, maybe another time then."

Silence spoke loudly to the two before Sebastian suddenly verbalized. "So, are you really going to be satisfied that you're not getting any more guesses?"

"No! Trust me, I'll figure you out….somehow. And when I do, I promise; you'll be the first to know."

Sebastian hesitated, entertained by the boy's sudden ambition. "Oh is that so?"

Ciel nodded, the blue strand remaining plastered adjacent from his eye, which was shining with an unprecedented determination.

The fervor radiating from the boy sparked an unparalleled curiosity in Sebastian, and he found himself taking a prolonged glance at Ciel's immaculate face. "Wait a second…this has been bothering me the whole time…" Nonchalantly, he brought a pale finger up to the stray strand and brushed it behind the teen's ear.

A million facetious remarks ran through Ciel's mind, but for some reason as he opened his mouth to speak, not one comment was able to escape.

Sebastian picked up on the subtle separation and continued to talk. "…My apologies…I just can't sit here when things are out of place that can easily be fixed."

Eventually, the younger one found his voice. "Don't touch me so easily." He mumbled the inaudible retort just before the bus came to a stop in the school parking lot.

In the instant that the teacher released them with an imploring declaration, "Go home so I don't have to stay here any longer", Elizabeth took the opportunity to run to the back of the bus and drag Ciel to Bard's car as he waved an abrupt goodbye to Sebastian.

"Elizabeth, where are we going?" Mei and Finny were already in the back seat of the Toyota Fortuner, beckoning Ciel to join them.

The blonde sighed as she freed her friend's arm. "It's 'Lizzy'. And we're going to the beach, right now!" She beamed before pushing the rather interested boy into the car.

"Alright, let's go!" Bard drove off impatiently; making the tires hit the pavement with an inconceivably loud screech as they sped to La Push.

* * *

><p>Washington seemed to be doomed with wet weather, but the dismal atmosphere did nothing to dampen the spirits of the teens at the beach. Even as the rain picked up speed and made noticeable dents in the sand as it fell, girls and guys alike chased each other into the freezing depths of the grey Pacific Ocean.<p>

Aside from the typical, natural beach formations under his feet – the sand and water – La Push did not resemble a beach at all whatsoever. An ostentatious pearly white mansion inhabited the land at the top of the sand, and the area was littered with random bars and resort-style sitting areas. At first, Ciel admired the setting, thinking that such a scene was impossible in this dreary town. However, when the owner of the display marched in front of his friends with a supercilious grin, the azure-haired teen immediately groaned.

"Welcome to my humble abode…" Alois Trancy's light, sarcastic voice burned in Ciel's ears as the taller boy's blonde hair fluttered in the wind. His home was nowhere near _humble_, and he knew it. The line was traversed when Alois spoke once again. "Nice to see you again, my dear Ciel."

The latter almost threw up at the way Alois had added the unnecessary term of endearment. He glared through a narrowed eye as the bane of his existence floated around to each of his friends, making aggravating small talk.

When the host caught Elizabeth staring in his direction, he took it as an invitation. Girls such as the wavy-haired blonde before him were definitely not his preference; but nonetheless, attracting them was his forte. "I believe I remember you…Lizzy, is it? The cute one with the shocking swordsmanship skills." He threw in a sly wink that made Ciel cringe.

Although Alois would have had any other girl or guy drooling all over him, Elizabeth was clearly uninterested as she noticed Ciel's hostility. "I'm sorry…how do you know Ciel again?" She asked, her deep emerald eyes growing colder by the second.

"We've known each other since we were children. The best of friends; weren't we, Ciel?" Malice barely protruded the mask of hospitality Alois wore for his guests, but the shorter teen made no effort to disguise his disgust.

"I couldn't possibly fathom the fact that I was ever able to put up with someone like you." He murmured, and when the blonde host clenched his pale fingers into a tight fist, Mei stepped in.

"Ah, he's just upset 'cause Sebastian couldn't come!"

Instantly, Alois' lips slipped into a horrified scowl and his piercing sky-blue eyes enlarged considerably. "Ugh! I hate Sebastian." He allowed the rain to fall onto his extended tongue as if the mere mention of the other's name had left a most undesirable taste in his mouth. "Ever since _he_ showed up that day…" The thought went uncompleted, and the feathery flaxen strands spilled rain droplets onto his purple shirt as he shook his head to dismiss the recollection. "Anyways," A long hand reached out for Elizabeth's. "Will you join me in giving Ciel the grand tour? The area's changed so much since dad bought the land from the Quileutes…we recently got a new pool area and I'd like everyone to see."

Given that the dark-haired boy had calmed down and settled for shoving his hands into his pockets instead of forcing a fist down Alois' throat, Lizzy nodded curtly, but walked past the other blonde to refuse his outstretched palm.

"Woo hoo! I'm in!" Bard eagerly followed the two, anticipating the abundance of women that would most likely be swimming there. Finny and Mei, however, had opted to join the beach volleyball game that was playing out in the other direction. Ciel, on the other hand, decided to tread angrily behind the parade of blondes as he attempted to tune Alois out.

* * *

><p>A while later, the tour came to an end in Alois' extravagant back yard. The small tour group had lost Bard somewhere along the way, presumably while they were passing the new hot tub. "So that's that…" The host stared down in boredom. "Feel free to pursue whatever interested you the most."<p>

Before he decided to leave permanently, Ciel suddenly recognized that Alois must hate Sebastian for a reason; a reason that might bring him one step closer to figuring out the scarlet-eyed teen's secret. "Can I talk to you for a minute…alone?" The phrase bounced around in his brain; it wasn't something he thought he'd say to Alois under any circumstance.

Faux innocence brightened each sky-blue iris as a hand that feigned shock fled to his violet-clad chest. "My my, Ciel. Feeling the urge to get physical with me already?"

This time, the teen couldn't control his anger and he recoiled a fist that was finally aimed for Alois' insolent face.

The other caught it with ease. "Calm down; it was a joke. I'm a very busy person, and although I would absolutely _love_ to chat all day, we wouldn't want to make a scene in front of your pretty little friend here." He gestured with his free hand to Lizzy.

The girl raised her own hand to brush her delicate curls from her face before turning on a heel. "No, please continue Ciel. I was just leaving." With that, she left the two teens as they stared after her.

"Ugh. Truly disgusting; isn't she." Alois spat once the female was out of earshot.

Ciel seethed, but having a clear goal in sight, he held his fiery tongue. "Tell me why you hate Sebastian so much."

A hint of a smirk tugged at the taller boy's lips as he moved to answer. "You're lucky. If there weren't so many people at my house right now I wouldn't have to say a damn thing to you. But since I'm feeling hospitable and generous today, I guess I could let you in on a little secret. His family's been around for a while now…I'm sure you wouldn't remember, but a long time ago they threatened to buy out the Quileute lands for 'hunting purposes' before we solidified our contract with the tribe." The teen made it a point to over exaggerate the air quotes.

_Hunting purposes…_Ciel thought about several different meanings those words could possess. "Did you ever find out what they meant by that?"

"No. But my grandfather always told my brother and I these incohesive accounts about them stealing souls or something. Damn, I miss that senile old man and his dumb stories." Alois kicked blades of grass out of the way as he walked with Ciel.

This new bit of information added fuel to his cause. "But what is he? What kind of creature-"

"Cieeelll!" Mei's jagged voice alerted both boys to her as she ran towards them.

The blonde looked on in irritation as the other began to look worried. "Mei-Rin…what's wrong?"

She stopped at his side and gasped as her lungs expanded and contracted rapidly. "It's Finny! He hit some guy in the face with the ball and now the guy and all his friends are coming after us and we 'ave to leave NOW!"

Ciel could see the thin blonde in the background dodging a crowd of angry, muscular people.

"Thanks for your hospitality! We should really go now, though!" Mei bowed slightly to the host, and after Ciel glared at Alois one last time, she followed him quickly into the car then sped home as the other three clung to the seats for dear life.

* * *

><p>"Finny, why is it that you're always assaulting somebody's face with a volleyball?" Elizabeth didn't actually mind it in the least that they had to leave early, but yet still; why Finny still decided to play the sport – even with his one hundred percent failure rate – was a mystery.<p>

"Give him a break, the guy doesn't know his own strength most times!" Stepping in front of Finny, Bard argued for his friend's sake.

As the small debate escalated between the blondes, Mei-Rin's curiosity got the best of her. "So, Lizzy told me you and Alois had a private chat?"

Ciel thought about explaining the meaning of the word _private _to the redhead, but established that he should lie instead. "Nothing too important. Just discussing payments for the truck his dad sold my dad." He peered at the girl from the corner of his eye to assess her expression, and the immediate deflation of her interest indicated that his falsehood had done its job.

"Oh." She raised her maroon sleeve and checked her bare wrist. "Wow! Already past five, I gotta get goin' home! See you tomorrow Ciel." With a smile, Mei went to her car and left as Ciel shook his head and drove himself home with a newfound hatred for the 'invisible watch' approach.

* * *

><p>Another lifeless body lay sandwiched between the damp earth and those polished scarlet shoes. The man had been rewarded with a quick death, but the word painless could not be used to describe the means in which the reapers had extinguished his last breath. Broken limbs crunched under Grell's feet as he stared down with distaste at the corpse; the man had gone down, not only fighting, but with dignity. Not a single scream or whimpering cry had accompanied the plethora of disparaging remarks from the man's pale lips at the hour of his death. Instead, he had remained undaunted; when both Will and Grell thrust their scythes simultaneously through his heart, the man had slammed his narrowed lids together and yelled tantalizingly, "You'll never get him".<p>

Hoping to get the man from beyond the grave, Grell brought his shoe up to the body's ribs and pressed it into the chest, savoring the sound of the bones snapping against the muscles as he smirked complacently. "This one put up quite a fight, didn't he Will?" The shroud of crimson locks swayed as the reaper left the remains and pranced over to his comrade.

"We would have been out of here a long time ago if you'd just listened to me and killed him right away instead of letting him in on Undertaker's plan to lure the demon from the kid…" Ronald crossed his arms with an agitated sigh.

Grell decided to disregard the comment, still beaming over his handiwork. "But I did a good job anyways, right Will?"

Readjusting his glasses with his scythe, Will murmured in agreement. "Hm. Yes; collect the rest of the cinematic record and let's go. We're beginning to cut into overtime hours."

The red reaper squirmed in delight at the rare compliment. He thought about placing his lips lightly against the other's cheek, but thought it better to wait when he recalled the last incident. His face throbbed lightly as a phantom pain coursed through his mouth. Grell resolved to thank William shyly instead.

After nodding in acknowledgement, the black-clad reaper lead the other two away from the body; the corpse's black, blood-coated hair falling over its frozen pale face and vacant, charcoal eyes.

* * *

><p>After the final bell rang on Friday, Lizzy and Mei had immediately dragged Ciel to the nearest dress shop to look for something to wear to prom.<p>

"Stop treating me like your gay friend!" Ciel yelled, prying both of the giggling girls from each arm. The dark heavy jacket he wore was already too warm, and the extra heat radiating from the girls irritated him.

"Oh…? Then what's this thing with Sebastian then?" Mei slapped the dark-haired teen on the shoulder playfully as his cheeks burned with anger.

Elizabeth winked at Mei before responding truthfully. "We're just kidding. Actually, we brought you here because we need a guy's opinion on our dresses before we show them to our dates. Bard couldn't pick out a matching pair of socks if he tried and Finny…" Her blonde hair whipped around as she turned to Mei for assistance.

"…Bless his heart." There was nothing else to say when speaking about the jubilant boy's choice of attire. "He's so sweet, though."

Lizzy gave a guilty nod. "Oh definitely! …Anyways, will you help us Ciel?"

Considering they were already in the dress shop and both girls reattached themselves to each of his arms, he figured he had no choice and reluctantly agreed. "Why not." As his friends squealed in excitement, he turned his head to look at the darkening sky before the girls disappeared into the dressing rooms with a pile of clothes.

Seeing as there was nothing else to do, he poked around between the racks of gowns aimlessly, and paused when he spied a pink ball gown embellished with black lace and a black-and-white striped bow. _What the…why does this look so familiar?_ The teen considered the unmistakable garment until his friends emerged in twin dresses.

The blonde groaned. "The same one, Mei?" An accusatory pout appeared on her pink lips.

"Well _sorry_! Not like I can read minds or somethin'!" The redhead pushed her glasses up and stormed back into the dressing room as Lizzy waltzed over to the boy.

"What do you think, Ciel?" She twirled gracefully before facing him. The close-fitting, silky, black fabric accentuated her figure, and the fanned top cut off just above her chest. There was a lime green bow that sat just underneath that, and a slit down the side that revealed emerald crinoline; similar to the green shade of the blonde's eyes.

"Huh…?" The folds of the familiar pink dress were disentwined from his fingers following the direct address. "Oh, yeah. It looks fine."

Generally, such an indifferent remark would have had her frowning, but any compliment from Ciel was good enough for her. "I'm glad you think so. I'm going to try on more, though!"

All of a sudden, the thought of hanging around until the girls were finished trying on every single dress in the store registered in Ciel's mind. Countless images of Lizzy twirling in front of him asking if this and that made her look fat made him shudder, so just before the said female returned to the dressing room, he spoke up. "Hey, Lizzy…I actually have to go get this book for English class. Can I meet you guys somewhere else later?"

Mei's head poked out of one of the dressing room curtains at Ciel's words. "Aww! You're leaving?" The boy nodded, faking a frown.

"Well, I guess if you have to get it for school. Just meet us at the restaurant down the road in about an hour, kay?" Her painted fingers were already rummaging through the pile of gowns for another one to try on.

"Sure, see ya." _Any longer in there and I might have been forced to wear a dress myself. _Ciel smirked at the thought; those girls were insane. It was likely that they would have done something absurd like that to him if he had stayed. As he practically ran out of the shop and down the street with his fur-filled hood up, the cold, calming night air voided his mind of the disquieting image.

The teen wondered the streets for a good half-hour, not knowing where he was headed. After all, he didn't _really _need a book for English. Finally, he reached the deserted part of town, hoping to find a place to hang out until the girls were done. _This'll work. _He thought as he propped his leg up against the back wall of a closed bank to tie his shoe. The act required more concentration than he had initially anticipated due to his frayed shoelace, and the boy was so busy smoothening it out that he didn't notice the person approaching him.

As the white-haired man got closer to the distracted Ciel, he drew a sharp breath, but still maintained his signature stoic expression. "Double Charles will never believe this. I was right; it _is _you, Ciel Phantomhive." He used one gloved hand to raise the sunglasses on his face for a better look.

Giving up on the shoe-tying escapade, Ciel sighed and turned to face the voice, only to be stunned by the strangely dressed male that stood before him. The sky was black and the moon shone over the town, but yet still, the man had sunglasses on. "Uh, yeah. I'm Ciel…who are you?"

The indifferent expression remained unchanged as the man turned his head slightly over the shoulder of his double-breasted jacket. The shaded lenses did not leave Ciel's face the entire time. "Grey, Phipps….it's him."

Not even a second later, two other men with hair as white as the first entered the area, which was filling up quickly with fog from the approaching storm. A sudden influx of wind reached the teen's spine as it blew his hood off. The shorter of the two incoming men sauntered up to Ciel and examined him meticulously. "Hmm…he sure does fit the master's description. What do you say, Phipps?"

Throughout all of this, Ciel's inquisitive nature got the best of him, so the impending danger was not apparent. "Uhm. Can I help you guys? I have somewhere to be and I don't have time to fool around, you know."

At that comment, Charles Grey drew back his head and scowled at the dark-haired teen from behind his long eyelashes. "You're quite the little brat aren't you?" His voice was light as he said this, which complimented his rather handsomely boyish countenance. Grey turned to the first man with a roguish grin. "Isn't this truly pitiful, John? Sent to collect an impudent teenager like this? Should we just kill him now…?"

Ciel's breathing ceased as the intensity of the situation registered. His mind was screaming to run but his legs didn't receive the message. Brick walls and darkness surrounded him, except for a small clearing behind the white-clad assailants. The only way out was to fight through them.

The other man, presumably the Phipps that John had referred to earlier, shook his head as his short silver strands danced around his angular face. "You don't think about the consequences."

"He's right." John adjusted his shades once more. "The master said he would like him to come back _alive_."

Grey started to sulk as his twin-named associate spoke. "Take your job seriously."

"Alright, Phipps. If you say so." He grinned as his left hand found his sword's handle. "Ciel Phantomhive, are you going to surrender willingly?"

With a just-noticeable tremble in his voice, the teen resisted. "Of course not! I'm not going anywhere with you assholes!" He brought his fists up to his face and prepared to protect himself against the three attackers as he yelled loudly in their faces.

After the initial shock wore off, Charles Grey pushed his lips out, perturbed at the kid's irreverence. "Fine, looks like we'll just have to use force!" The sword was unsheathed and thrust in his direction while both Phipps and John moved to pin him against the brick wall.

Ciel knew he was outnumbered and would most likely receive a serious injury, but the familiar pain accompanied by the cut of a blade never came. In that moment, a barrier of blackness shielded him from harm. An investigative eye peered up and identified the object that had assisted him. "Sebastian? What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Stay back." Inexorable garnet eyes found Ciel from their corners and commanded him to follow the urgent advice. Sebastian then turned to face John and double Charles with a merciless glare.

Exuberance counteracted ferocity as Charles Grey drew back to notice the new addition. "Michaelis! Never thought I'd see you again. Too bad I'll actually have to _kill_ you this time."

Before Ciel could protest, Sebastian sprung at the man and kicked both John and Phipps to the side, planting his fist into Grey's ribs. This enraged all three of the snowy-haired beings, and with inhuman alacrity, they surrounded Sebastian as he yelled back to the observing teen. "Close your eyes! I don't want you to see this."

"What the-! No! I want to see this!" Within the boy, an ardent urgency to watch his classmate take on his attackers ignited, and he propped his foot on the wall behind him and crossed his arms, forgetting the danger that had been at his throat only a moment before.

"Damnit Ciel! Just do it! Until I count down from ten, okay?"

Amid the chaos unfolding just a few feet away, the static teen recognized his name as it flew from Sebastian's mouth. He closed his exposed eye. Not because he had been asked to; not because John Brown's skull had made contact with a brick wall and his hair was now a beautiful shade of ruby; but because aside from the moment they met, Sebastian Michaelis had never addressed him by his name. This was serious, Ciel deduced, and therefore made an effort to comply with the strange request.

"Ten." He heard the unmistakable crunching of bones. "Nine." Grey was laughing hysterically, but a pained and raspy shriek erupted from another. "Eight," Sebastian continued, grunting as the sound of metal against the pavement met Ciel's attentive ears. "Seven!"

"Shut up! You're never going to get to one!" More broken, hysterical cackling diffused through the night as the wind blew harshly through the frigid darkness.

"Six!" Sebastian continued, ignoring Grey's outburst. He quickly dogged Phipps' kick as he counted for the teen. "Five…four…Three!"

Something soft tickled Ciel's nose, and he contemplated breaking Sebastian's request for a fraction of a second before his eye peeled open slightly on its own accord. The sight before him left him breathless, overwhelmed, and at a loss for words. A single black feather had drifted onto his face, and as the teen discerned the source of the anomaly, his pupil dilated profusely. There, in the place Sebastian had been earlier, was a winged creature dissimulated by crepuscular feathers like the one that had brushed against his nose.

The obscurity that engulfed the monster revealed only barbed fangs, able to puncture the thickest of skins; and those eyes – the once entrancing pools of scarlet, were exchanged for the ravenous, incandescent, merciless hollows of an animal. Ghastly onyx talons distended from the digits of the incubus, and when the raspy, sickening call of "Two" was cast from its jagged, elongated throat, Ciel failed to stifle a horrified gasp.

The claws had ripped through John's side, forcing a cascade of thick blood to dribble down his opened mouth and stain his glistening teeth. But, when Ciel's breath had echoed ever so softly through the breeze, the glowing red eyelets whipped around to meet the teen's repulsed expression. The countdown stopped as Sebastian was unable to formulate any coherent thoughts. Ciel had seen him.

"Brown!" Grey howled, thrashing his sword at the plasma-covered finger extensions as Phipps moved to embrace the injured man. "Michaelis! You're going to get it now!" Charles cackled with a deranged smile plastered across his lurid face.

"Keep it closed!" Roared Sebastian, or, whatever it was that Ciel had seen materialize where his classmate had been. The teen was too shocked to comply this time.

In the moment that the feathered creature had turned to instruct Ciel, Grey had taken it upon himself to plunge his sword into its arm. A dissonant cry pierced the darkness, and Grey grinned, feeling accomplished. "It was fun playing with you Michaelis, but it seems we'll have to come back for the boy later." He turned to Phipps, who was supporting an unconscious John, and gestured for him to leave.

Sebastian knelt down with his back to Ciel on the concrete of the clearing and clutched his dripping wound. Charles Grey smirked before waving and disappearing behind the other two into the fog from which they came.

Labored breaths cut through the quietude as the black wings were slowly retracted into the feral body. Talons shrunk into black-painted nails, and little by little, Sebastian Michaelis was restored to his mortal state.

Words could not describe the war of conflicting emotions that clouded Ciel's thoughts and prevented him from articulating. A solid three minutes passed until the teen's right foot stepped towards the damaged male. He hesitated, not sure if this was the right move, but eventually proceeded until he stood over the other.

At the sound of the teen's footsteps, Sebastian turned his head. Would Ciel try to kill him out of fear?

They were back. The deep, crimson eyes that Ciel knew. Except, they were inhabited by an unadulterated regret that startled the boy. The two communicated silently until Ciel extended a courageous hand to the bleeding individual.

Shocked at the unexpected benevolence of the action, Sebastian paused before finally accepting the hand and pulling himself up.

"You can explain everything to me while you're walking me to the restaurant. I was supposed to meet Mei and Lizzy there an hour ago." Ciel dropped the bloodstained hand and without meeting his gaze, walked past Sebastian out of the alley-like enclosure.

Something like this had never happened in Sebastian's life. Every human that had come in contact with his abominable true form had either attempted to kill him or had tried to run away in horror. But this teen, this smaller, almost delicate boy, had helped him – nonetheless had _touched _him after learning what he really was. Ciel Phantomhive was certainly one worth knowing, Sebastian figured, and he stumbled as he hurried after him.

**A/N: Thank you to promocat and the others for being faithful reviewers as well as the people who have favorite/alerted it! I can't thank you guys enough. Everyone else: feel free to tell me how Cracknificent this chapter was! Even though I may crash and burn as an author, I'm going to continue this story no matter what! Woo! …Eh… Just review so I can reserve the shreds of self-confidence that I have left. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: *Trying to re-upload it so it will actually show up...tell me if it works!**And trying again..*

**A/N: I wonder what would happen if I put subliminal messages in my story. Ex: "Whenever Ciel considered calling Sebastian, REEEVVVIIIIEEEEEWWWWWWWW he would hesitate for a second to make sure that he would still be able to formulate a complete sentence once he heard the other's voice (HEY YOU! You with the face! Yeah you. Review!) on the phone." I also just noticed that I type in 26 font on word, so the chapters end up being like 187 pages on there, and they come out really short on here. They look long to me, but what do I know. Read. Review. You know what to do. **

**Disclaimer: All your Kuro no are belong to us. (I'll be surprised if you get that reference….)**

_What in the Hell just happened?_ Ciel sped up as he wondered if he should change his plans and run.

"Wait!"

It was Sebastian. Azure hair guarded his eye as Ciel squeezed it shut, willing himself to stop and look in the other's general direction. "I'm not leaving." The words left his mouth before he could think them.

The male's red eyes softened, and as Sebastian caught up to Ciel's side, he expelled an endearing "Thank you."

He turned to look at the empty street ahead, still unable to face Sebastian directly, and muttered "You're welcome", mistakenly assuming the other was thanking him for helping him stand earlier.

They continued walking straight as Sebastian placed a hand back onto his seeping sleeve.

"Don't you need to go to a hospital or something?" Ciel asked, staring straight ahead as his voice cracked. Questions about what had just happened were harassing his conscience, pleading against the barrier of his lips to be verbalized. He had to bite down on the bottom one to restrain the urge to do just that.

Sebastian ripped off a section of his stained sleeve and tied it gingerly around his cut. "I'll be fine. You said you were meeting the girls at the restaurant? Is it alright if I tell you everything later? I wouldn't want you to lose your appetite."

Ciel was about to complain, but the sound of his name up ahead stopped him.

"CIEEELLLL! Where are youuuu?" Lizzy called him with a hint of irritation in her usually sweet voice.

"Where'd he even run off to? He was supposed to meet us an hour ago! Maybe he ditched us; we should probably go home." The voices got closer as Ciel recognized the red pigtails emerging from the side of a building about half a block down.

"Shit! Here, take my jacket! They'll never stop pestering you with questions if they see your arm like that." He stripped off the jacket and tossed it to Sebastian who put it on immediately. Both guys hid their bloodstained hands behind their backs.

"Abercrombie and Fitch, Phantomhive?" An amused smile accompanied the teasing observation after Sebastian had zipped up the front with his clean hand. The dark grey jacket and insulated brown fur did well to conceal the male's blood.

"Shut up!" Ciel whispered harshly, just as Lizzy laid her bright green eyes on him.

"Ooh! I found him!" She grabbed Mei and pulled her towards the two guys.

"And look! He's with Sebastian too!" The redhead pushed her glasses higher as to confirm her previous comment. "Hello Sebastian!" Mei waved flirtatiously then gently elbowed the other girl with a snicker.

Elizabeth pressed two dainty fingers to her lips as she held back a giggle, but the light blush across her face gave her conclusions away. "So this is why you were late. Say…isn't that the jacket you were wearing earlier? Why's Sebastian wearing it now? And where's that book you said you had to get?"

_Crap._ "Uh, Sebastian was getting a cold and I didn't want him coughing all over me so I gave it to him. And…Sebastian is letting me use his book."

"Well that is just tooooo cute." The blonde started, releasing the pent up giggle. "How about we hang out some other time Ciel? It's getting late anyways and –"

"We don't want to interrupt…whatever you guys were up to." Jumping in before the other could finish her thought, Mei-Rin took hold of her friend's wrist and started walking in the direction they came from.

With wide eyes, Lizzy called back to the boys. "That's not what I was going to say! But we do have to leave. Sebastian, you wouldn't mind taking Ciel home, would you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Okay! Great, see you both on Monday!" As soon as she had finished, the two pink-faced females bolted out of sight, leaving Ciel resembling the complete picture of anger.

"Sorry about that. They're entirely crazy about teasing me all the time."

"Don't apologize," Sebastian began to unzip the jacket, stopping as the wetness of his blood met his fingers once again. "It looks like I should be the one apologizing here. I just got blood all over your brand-name jacket."

The jacket had been a parting gift from Ciel's mother; she figured such a jacket would not only keep him warm in the drastically different climate, but that the preppy brand would gain him some friends. Today was the first time he had actually worn it in public. "I would say keep it, but if my mom comes to visit and doesn't see me wearing it…she'll probably kill me. Or worse, buy me another one just like it."

Sebastian smirked. "Okay then. I'll wash it and give it back at school." He eyed the growing dark stain before rephrasing. "Uh, let's make that _sterilize_ it and give it back at school."

"Mkay." Ciel finally turned to face Sebastian. "…How did you even get here in the first place? You didn't sense my fear or something dumb like that, did you?"

"How ridiculous. No, I drove here to pick up a book for English." Unlike Ciel, he actually _cared _about his homework. The older teen started walking again and pointed to his corvette down the road. "My GPS led me in the wrong direction and I ended up here. Then I saw Phipps and Grey disappearing between those buildings and tried not to follow them until I heard you cussing at them."

Ciel flushed, forcing out his relief. "I'm glad you showed up. I don't know how well I would have fought off three guys and a sword with my bare hands." He stalled, the burning questions finally erupting. "So how do you do it? What _are _you? You're not human, or maybe you are? Does anyone else know about what you turn into besides double Charles and the other guy? Where do your wings go after you turn back? Does it hurt?"

Slightly stunned at the outflow of inquiries, Sebastian held up a finger to Ciel's lips, determining that the action would cause the teen to stop instantly.

He was right. What he didn't expect, though, was the reaction following the wordlessness. "Damn it!" Ciel cursed as he turned his heated face away. It took a few seconds for his pale complexion to return, but once it did, he remained quiet.

"It's a long story…" Came the anticipated response. "It would be easier for me to tell you if you figured out some of it first. Tell you what; when you find out what exactly it is that I am, at least, then I'll explain the rest."

Ciel moaned, disappointed that he would have to play the guessing game once again. "Okay, that's fair. But when I find out, you have to tell me _everything. _And no leaving anything out or lying. Promise?" He held out his unstained hand, and when Sebastian shook it with his blood-covered one, Ciel grimaced.

"I swear. Oh, sorry about your hand. I forgot about that." Sebastian's dark jeans served as a makeshift towel as he wiped the remainder of the liquid onto them. "Need a ride home?"

"Sure."

Chivalrously, Sebastian opened the passenger side door and allowed Ciel to slip inside, then walked around the front to sit in the drivers seat. The roar of the engine disrupted the quiet atmosphere that had developed as Sebastian drove away.

After ten silent minutes had passed, in which Ciel had spent defining possible origins for Sebastian's true form, the now human-looking teen raised an important question. "So…where do you live?"

In Ciel's determination to come up with a likely explanation for the wings, he had forgotten to tell the other how to get to his house. _Wow. I'm stupid. _"It's about five minutes from here. You go up to the bait shop and keep going straight, then turn left at the stoplight. It's pretty easy to figure out after that." The gentle hum of the car against the road was somewhat calming after the unrealistic day he had, and sleepy tears spilled from his eyes as he yawned. Ciel unsuccessfully willed his eyes to stay open as his head fell lightly towards his left shoulder onto the leather seat. Within seconds, the teen's slow, steady breaths occupied the peaceful car.

"Hey. Wake up. We're here."

After stretching, Ciel blinked and opened the car door. "Thanks."

"No problem…hey is that your truck?" Sebastian pointed towards the red vehicle that was suspended on a jack and had no wheels.

Letting out a groan, Ciel dragged his hand down the side of his face. "Are you serious? What happened to my wheels! I have school in three days and it's gonna take at least a week to get new ones! Aghhhh!" He jumped out of the corvette to inspect the damage, but Sebastian made him pause when he spoke.

His pale throat was cleared to get the younger teen's attention. "If you want I could give you a ride Monday."

The azure orb blinked before Ciel faced the scarlet-eyed male again. "For real? I mean, that'd be great. Thanks."

"Be ready at six-fifty." Sebastian reached over to shut the passenger door and winced as his arm throbbed heavily.

"I will be. You should go home and get that fixed; I need to have a word with Vincent anyways. Oh…and thanks for saving my ass again." Ciel waved as the other nodded and drove off. Taking another regretful glance at his incomplete vehicle, the teen stomped up the stairs and swung the door open, ready to give Vincent a piece of his mind just as the storm started outside. "Hey! Do you know what in the Hell happened to my-" The soft sound of sobs barely drifted over his frantic yells. He walked into the living room, only to see his father slumped over on the couch with his head in his hands. "Woah, what happened to you…?"

Surprised by the stealthy way his son had entered the room, Vincent stood up and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, trying to pretend as if he hadn't been crying. "Oh, hey Ciel…" The man sniffled and thought he could cover it with a manly cough. It didn't work. "Gahh." Vincent growled in frustration as stray tears slipped down his face.

This was something Ciel had never seen before; his father had always been a strong and collected individual. Even when Ciel's mother had left him, Vincent was obviously upset but he had never shed a tear. Something seriously amiss had to have happened. Cautiously treading over to the couch, Ciel had a seat and patted the spot next to him so his father could explain. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?" He whispered soothingly.

"It's my best friend…Diedrich." The man's soft face hardened as he drew a breath. "I just found out he was ripped apart by the same animal that killed the security guard."

Immediately, Ciel's usually sarcastic personality gave way to a compassionate wave. "Damn…No way…I'm sorry about that." He'd remembered Diedrich; the man had practically grown up with Vincent and had always been around. Ciel recalled that Diedrich had spent a lot of time with his dad after Rachel left…he believed that his dad's friend had even lived here for a while after that.

Vincent placed both hands on Ciel's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "I'm telling you, Ciel; there's nothing greater than friendship." His large hands fell into his lap as he continued. "Just cherish the time you have with everyone because it can all be taken away without warning."

Seeing Vincent so bothered by the incident compelled Ciel to awkwardly wrap an arm around his father as he caught sight of more tears rolling slowly down the man's cheek. At the rare embrace from his son, Vincent erupted into tears once again and threw his arms around his boy.

Ciel hadn't hugged his father since he was five, and despite the circumstances, it was beginning to get a little weird. He patted Vincent's shaking back ineptly before speaking. "O-okay Vincent…"

At that, the father pulled back and blew his nose into his sleeve. "Whoops. Sorry about that. I just wish more than anything that you could have someone you're close to like I was with my friend; I never really see you with anyone and I get worried."

Before the man could start any more waterworks, Ciel quickly devised a plan so his father would be satisfied. "Oh, but I have friends, dad. As a matter of fact, I invited one to come over tomorrow." When the older male immediately sat straighter at the news, Ciel instantly regretted the decision.

"Oh really? Who?" Excitement played in the father's eyes.

"Uh…Sebastian."

Vincent's mouth opened as he registered the thought. "Michaelis?"

"Hm yeah."

The parted lips repeated the name again. "Michaelis."

Ciel wondered if he should tell Vincent it was a joke. "Is there something wrong with that…?"

Jumping slightly, Vincent shook his head. "No! It's great; I'm ecstatic that you're branching out, kid. I just didn't think he'd be the type to talk to you outside of school…even after your little accident."

When Ciel's sapphire eye narrowed lazily in forfeit, he disregarded his dad's correction as he gave Vincent a look.

"No, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just…he's so eloquent and calm and you're more loud and whimsical." The man put a finger to the side of his mouth, thinking over the comment only after it had left his mouth.

Ciel got up to leave. "Goodnight Vincent. I hope you _feel better._" He added icily as the latter waved his hands in surrender in front of his face, attempting to tell his son to disregard his previous utterance.

Once Ciel was up the stairs, Vincent heard the door slam. He shook his head again, hoping to get through to the teenager one of these days.

* * *

><p>The smell of bacon and eggs woke Ciel the next morning as he stretched; the covers already all the way down his bare back. It was Saturday, and the teen took pleasure in the fact that he wouldn't have to do a damn thing today. No school, no annoying girls; he could walk around in his boxers all day for all he cared. But the best thing of all about Saturday – he didn't have to look like a blubbering idiot in front of Sebastian. <em>Aw shit. Sebastian.<em> As the events from last night reentered his mind, he recalled that he would _actually _have to invite the other teen over to please his father.

Just as he pulled some pants on and stumbled down the stairs to find the guy's phone number from the yellow pages, the phone rang. Ciel picked it up, seeing as his father had gone to the basement a few seconds earlier after saying good morning. "Hello?" His voice came out rough; it was the first time he had spoken since waking up.

"Hello, is this the Phantomhive residence?" The voice on the other line was unmistakable.

Surprised, Ciel cleared his throat hastily and spoke. "Oh, Sebastian? What's up? And how'd you get my number…?" He didn't mean to sound accusatory; but the question still lingered. Vincent hadn't agreed to put his number in the yellow pages, so how would Sebastian have gotten it?

A millisecond of silence passed across the line. "Well your dad and my dad talked on the phone yesterday so the number was in here. I figured it was you, considering there's no other family by the name of Phantomhive in Washington…anyways; I just called to see if there was anything I could do to help. My dad told me about Diedrich. He said your family was pretty upset about the news. You alright?"

Ciel twirled the ancient phone chord around his index finger as he listened to Sebastian speak. "Oh, thanks. And yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. Just let me know if there's anything I can-"

"Wait!" Ciel remembered his father's spiel from last night. "Would you mind coming over today…? Vincent was really crushed last night since the guy was close to him and he said he wants me to have friends over. So…" He awaited the answer during a long, drawn out pause.

There was incoherent whispering in the background. Finally the answer came. "Actually, I'm kind of busy today. But if you say it will make him feel better, is Sunday okay?"

Ciel's breath quickened at the thought of having Sebastian at his house. "Sure. Thanks for all your help with everything, by the way."

"No problem." Another swift whisper barely carried through the phone. "Say, is Vincent there? My father needs to speak with him about something important."

Ciel craned his neck to observe the unmoving basement door, rubbing his naked shoulder and grabbing a piece of bacon as he did so. "Yeah, lemme go get him. See you Sunday."

He waited for the "goodbye" from the other end, then set the phone on the counter and called Vincent upstairs.

* * *

><p>"Let us commend our dear friend Diedrich to the mercy of God," Powerful words echoed vigorously through the celestial cathedral, ricocheting from the ivory embellished walls and off the immaculate stained glass windows to the crowd of shrouded lamenters, who wept softly below. A blanket of untainted, silvery light encompassed the scene, creating a serene environment around the disheartening ceremony. The coffin sat at the front. Time to time, a stray white petal from the trees beyond the open doors would drift in on the gentle breeze, landing silently on the marble floor among the multitude of black dress-shoes. Ciel stirred as one such petal brushed across his nose, forcing him to remember the way Sebastian's feather had caressed him in a similar manor.<p>

It turned out that the phone call for Vincent was concerning Diedrich's funeral, which had been moved to today because the church would be closed for the next few weeks due to renovations. So, Ciel had unwillingly forfeited his 'Slacker Saturday' and dressed up in a fitted, three piece black suit to accompany his father to the occasion.

Four men rose and stepped to the front; one of them being Vincent, and per the Priests' consent, they lifted the polished black casket onto their shoulders as they treaded slowly outside, followed by the black masses of mourners.

On the way out, the high-hatted priest began to discuss the differences between the angels of Heaven and the demons of Hell, pointing out that Diedrich was destined to reside in the celestial kingdom above. A naive little brunette, barely six years old and in a velvety black dress, tugged on the elderly clergyman's robes and inquired about the alternative.

"What do the demons do that's so bad?" Her glassy chartreuse orbs found the man's wrinkled face from under her baby-soft eyelashes.

"Why, my child; you must never tangle with the likes of a demon." He started, turning to the congregation as they joined him in the graveyard. "This goes for all of God's children. The inhuman and unclean spirits of those fallen angels belong in Hell. They are repulsive creatures, concealed in darkness with superhuman strengths. Be wary, children, for it is said that some are able to take the shape of humans and reside on earth's surface to spread the evil of the Devil. But fear not; with the proper faith in the Lord you will always prevail." He smiled solemnly, placing a withered palm on top of the girl's waving hair.

The funeral went on, extracting sobs and wails from the crowd. In deep thought, Ciel reviewed the priest's account of the underworld beings in his head. _Maybe_, he pondered. _Just maybe…_

"We therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life." The priest's voice did not carry as strongly as it had inside, but it still seemed bold against the fluctuating wind. Jet black umbrellas shielded Diedrich's final resting place form the relentless wearing of the rain as friends and family watched his box descend into the earth; they had not seen his peaceful body lying in the coffin since the sight of his mangled body would have caused great suffering for everyone, and had to go off memories of the last time they saw his face.

As the last of the roses fell into the grave - Ciel's included - the gravediggers filled the hole, covering Diedrich, and with him, burying Ciel's doubt about the haunting scarlet-eyed teenager.

* * *

><p>Sunday came at last, and as Ciel trudged past the mirror, he glanced lazily at his reflection, continuing to the stairs. Not a second later, the teen furrowed his brows and backtracked to the gold-framed glass. After using his comb and brush for the first time in years, he attended to the small details. He meticulously moved a microscopic sapphire strand from the left side of his face and smoothed it down on the right. In all his years, he had never taken such care in his appearance. Maybe it had something to do with looking acceptable for the peculiar company, but other than that, the boy's apprehension was simply eating at him from the inside out, and having something to concentrate on eased his convulsing nerves. Today was the day, he was sure, that the reason behind Sebastian's true nature would be out in the open.<p>

After fifteen minutes of smoothing and repositioning various strands, the doorbell drew him away from the mirror. He took a breath, confidently assuring himself that he would wait until the right moment to reveal his findings to Sebastian. With one last swipe of his fingers across his locks, he opened the door and laid eyes on his guest.

"Hello," the tall male started, stepping into the small house as Ciel opened the door. He was wearing a close fitting white-striped t-shirt, and over that, was a black double-breasted jacket that cut off just above his narrow blue jeans. "Are you two holding out alright?"

The question was in reference to Diedrich's burial, but Ciel couldn't seem to connect the occurrence to the question. All he knew was that his palms were sweating and his heart beat faster than it had in a while. Luckily, the teen didn't have to answer as Vincent strode into the room and greeted the guest.

"Good to see you again Sebastian. It's a shame; they just called me into work for a burglary emergency about two minutes ago. But I'm glad you're here nevertheless." The father smiled warmly and held out a hand. "Make sure to tell your father thank you for the concern about the funeral yesterday. We're doing much better now that he's in Heaven."

The inconspicuous and sarcastic twitch of Sebastian's mouth went right past Vincent, but the man's son caught it just before it disappeared. "I'm sure. I'm glad to hear you are improving."

"Thanks. Hey, Ciel, why don't you guys go play COD or something downstairs? I gotta get going."

At the suggestion, he turned towards Sebastian and beckoned him to the basement. "Yeah. See you later then. Have a good day at work." He waved at his father who rushed out the door in the same instant.

Groans escaped from the old wooden stairs as Sebastian and Ceil headed to the finished basement. The navy blue walls complimented the cerulean velvet couches that sat on the long wispy carpet. Across from the stairs sat a rather large screen television, propped up only a few inches from the ground.

Ciel walked over and switched it on, asking Sebastian politely to turn on the light as he tried to find the Xbox remotes. When no light brightened the room, he asked again. "Um…Sebastian…? The lights?" Yet still, he was covered in almost complete darkness, spare the grey glow from the television. He spun around to find the other teen flipping the light switch up and down in irritation. He stopped as he felt Ciel's gaze.

"Sorry…it's not working."

A heavy sigh sounded through the room. "Okay then," Ciel turned back to the wall, feeling around blindly for the Xbox's power button. He was about to give up until Sebastian reached over his shoulder and found the game system, resting a hair's length away from Ciel's right foot. The room lit up as the system was switched on and the familiar chime of Xbox live filled the basement. "Oh…thanks." It was easier to locate the elusive controllers after that, and he threw one to Sebastian before sitting on the carpet as his guest followed suit.

"Phantom Vengeance 69." Sebastian read from the screen and nodded as he registered the Live name. "You are a very interesting individual indeed, Phantomhive."

"Shut up I made this account like 15 years ago." He rolled his eye, somewhat embarrassed.

"The 360 wasn't even made until 2005 and-" Sebastian started teasingly.

A bit less nervous now, Ciel ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, okay. You know, you can technically _leave _now since Vincent's at work." It was meant to be a snide remark, but he wondered if the older teen would take him seriously.

Letting Ciel have a moment of glory was out of the question. "I would, but I'm confident that you'd go to your room and cry as soon as I left. Just look at how much effort you put into your hair today; I wouldn't want all that hard work to go to waste."

"Wait…you noticed? Um, never mind." Ciel stared down, pressing the bright green A-button on the controller to initiate the game. "So, there's another reason I called you here. I wanted to take an educated guess about your situation."

Sebastian's irises glowed softly in the dim lighting as he found Ciel out of the corner of his eye. "What makes you think your guess will be educated?"

"Can you just stop and listen to me!" The teen's heart beat faster; he was incredibly anxious to discover if his research had paid off.

Sebastian paused, devoting his concentration to the campaign on the large screen. "Go ahead."

With a stabilizing breath, Ciel began to reveal his answer, first dropping small tests to assess the validity of his claim. "Is it true that you don't eat human food."

"…Yes."

"Okay." _One down…three to go._ "How long have you been seventeen?"

The other stayed quiet, skillfully shooting enemy soldiers in the game. "I thought you'd remember by now, Phantomhive. I'm eighteen."

_Wasted question. _"Right. Then, answer this: which is your true form; the shape you assume now before me, or the winged beast you appeared as the other night?"

Sebastian shuddered at the boy's choice of words. _Beast._ He hadn't wanted Ciel to recognize him as such a repulsive creature, but he answered the question boldly. "You've only seen my true form once."

Blood spilled into Ciel's mouth as he bit his lip forcefully. The thing that was next to him was most definitely not of this world. "So, Sebastian Michaelis…" Another breath. "Answer yes or no to this question: are you a demon…" His voice trailed off, already anticipating the response that would determine the need for any further action.

Simulated guns and bombs from the television were the only noises that filled the highly stressed setting until the raven lowered his head. "How did you know?"

Ciel's heart felt like it was about to spontaneously combust within his chest. Besides the fact that he had finally unearthed Sebastian's secret, the thought of sitting within such a close proximity of an incubus from Hell excited him, even when he should have been cowering in fear. In his excitement, he left the question unanswered.

"You found out rather quickly, I mean. So how did you do it? Did someone tell you…" Sebastian's voice came out strained and rough, as if reserving the urge to lash out.

_I did it. I figured him out._ "I've always had my speculations. The other night made me one-hundred-percent sure you weren't human…but I still didn't know what type of _thing _you were. I guess it wasn't until the priest spoke about Heaven and Hell at Diedrich's funeral that I was sure. Maybe it was because I haven't been to church since my parents were together that I didn't figure it out sooner…but what did you expect me to do? Google it and buy a $50 dollar book from a sketchy Native store, even though the information was already on the Internet?"

"You're correct, either way. I am what you presume me to be. Are you scared?" He lifted his head, his pitch-black hair falling over the glistening eyes.

Ciel paused the game, staring back at the other with interest. "Of course not. I'm just glad you're not a vampire. And it helps that we didn't have to go 30 miles into the woods on a school day to have this conversation." He grinned, drawing a relieved smile from the demon.

"And you're not the slightest bit concerned…even though I'm using all my strength to restrain myself from killing you at this very moment."

The younger teen gulped, taking in each word and carefully noting it as the velvety voice vocalized. "I had no idea."

Sebastian nodded to himself, then put down his controller and crawled over to the boy as his blue eye widened.

A dull thud sounded when Ciel unconsciously dropped the black remote as his back was pressed into the carpet, and sharp, temporal scents invaded his nose while he dully noted each of the few centimeters of air left between his face and Sebastian's.

"You're extremely vulnerable right now…" Although his voice was just above a whisper, it was deep and throaty as it heated Ciel's face. "And all I would have to do…" He broke the unblinking stare he had initiated when he cast his eyes down to the boy's arm as it rested rigidly under him. "…to extract that ambrosial soul of yours…" Mocking the teen's defenselessness as he hovered over him, Sebastian walked his noticeably sharper nails up the boy's pale arm, one by one, before bringing his vehement irises back to the sapphire pool with a barely audible whisper. "…is…" He watched Ciel's eyelid lower halfway and heard the increase of blood flow to the human heart while he gently, and with excruciating slow movements, descended his face downward, and downward still.

Ciel let his eyelid drop completely and raised his chin, closing the distance between his lips and the other's just enough for the microscopic fields above each pink petal to intersect.

"What's wrong with you?" Sebastian suddenly stated, rising up about six inches away. The abrupt nature of the piercing sound startled Ciel as his eye snapped open, bringing his better judgment back.

"What do you mean _me_ you rapist! What's wrong with YOU?" The infuriated teen stood up, pulling the other with him, then jabbed an accusatory finger into the hard chest.

Sebastian furrowed his brows and rephrased. "I meant…why are you so comfortable getting so _close_ to me? And after I just told you how easy it would be to _kill_ you? Access to the inside of your body is all it takes for a demon to extract a soul and leave the human lifeless. Are you not fazed in the least by that fact?" His voice went up several octaves in exasperation. It was impossible to decipher this particular human.

Ciel crossed his arms, a bit embarrassed at his interpretation. "Well, all it takes is one kiss…and then I'm dead?"

Sebastian sighed, taking a seat on the light couch and pointing to the spot next to him.

However, being the immature and combative person that he was, Ciel decided to sit right in front of the other on the floor.

After rolling his eyes, Sebastian began. "Okay. So that's not exactly how it goes. Kissing is…one way…to get a human close enough to take their soul. It doesn't necessarily mean that as soon as their lips touch that the human will die. A demon has to…" He searched his mind for the right way to phrase it. "…to _suck_ the soul out, if you will."

"So you're a vampire."

Sebastian sighed once more, rubbing his temple at the claim. "No, I am nothing like a vampire." He spat the word back at the boy. "I was just relating it in terms you could understand. It's much more complicated than that, but maybe you will get to experience it first hand when I kill you."

The inflection of the older male's voice and the narrow shape of his eyes revealed that it was a joke, but Ciel still shivered anyways. "You wouldn't kill me." He stated, not challenging the demon, but rather, confidently stating what he knew to be true.

"What makes you so sure?" He leaned down to Ciel's face, questioning his conclusion.

The boy grinned slyly before answering. "You just can't keep your face from mine; can you?" Sebastian scoffed and leaned back into the couch. "First of all, if you wanted to eat me so badly, why haven't you done so already?"

"I don't want to eat _you._ It's your _soul_ I'm after. And regretfully…you're right. I wouldn't kill you."

At Sebastian's bold confession, the boy became amused. "Wow, I never thought you would admit it so willingly." Ciel sat cross-legged and grabbed his knees, rocking back and forth in front of the couch. "…So why is it that you won't eat me again?" He thought about licking his arm and commenting about how good he tasted to annoy Sebastian, but he refrained, seeing as the male was already getting pissed.

"For the last time Phantomhive, I do not want to eat you." He took a second to calm down before he articulated again. "You're in a weird mood today."

"Am not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not, you are."

"Stop arguing with me. We are not _children_." The demon raised his voice, and the human wondered if he would transform right there in the basement. "Do you want to know everything or not, because as you said before, I do not have any obligation to stay here right now."

Ciel immediately shut up at the other's serious implications. "I apologize. Please continue." He gained respect for the demon's ability to stay patient as he rose to sit next to Sebastian.

"Now that we're on the same level…" Although he believed Ciel wouldn't understand, he spoke regardless. "…I just feel the need to protect you with my life, as strange as that sounds. It's rather selfish of me…wanting to keep you all to myself. But if being born a demon will assist me in accomplishing that cause, then so be it." What the human didn't realize, though, was that Sebastian had planned to wait until the right time to extract his soul.

"That's…" He searched for the right word, realizing that _kind-of-gay_ wasn't going to make Sebastian any less angry. So, he settled for "weird." Ciel smirked, proud of his considerate action. As his eye pulsated lightly under the black silk, he remembered the day he was almost killed. He was, after all, sitting next to a demon. _Maybe he knows something…_ "I have another question…do you know anything concerning Ash's father…?" It was only a notion, but Ciel had a feeling that he had identified the white-haired man Vincent told him about that day.

Sebastian thought for a moment, and finally recalled a vital piece of information. "The Volturi…they were after…" He ceased all movements, bringing his eyes to meet Ciel's. "…they were after _you_. Yeah, I remember now. You must have been the one Ash's father told us about. Why didn't I realize this earlier?" The teen cursed under his breath, looking away for only a moment as he formulated an idea. "You have to come to my place."

"…Your…place…?" Ciel looked confused.

"Yeah. Ash must have wanted to talk to you for such a long time now, but he couldn't just approach you with stuff about angels and demons. But now you know, so it should be fine."

No less curious than he was before, Ciel shook his head. "What in the Hell are you talking about?"

Sebastian rose and grabbed the boy's wrist. "Come on. We're going to see my family."

**A/N: Yes, yes. There was Twilight bashing in this chapter. (You Guys: Ohh that's what that was…) Uh….can't think of anything to say for this one…can't really explain the weird last few paragraphs except for giving you the gentle reminder that "This is a CrackFic". So…that's all folks! *****Awkward Tap Dance***** Ew, reminds me of Claude. That creepy S.O.B. I mean, look at all the strange things he does with his tongue. And that eye-finger thing…? Anyways…just review and join me next time for another round of "Crackfic Central"! Thank you. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: Haha I put sooo much brand name crap in here. I don't own that stuff, by the way, incase you were wondering. Neither do I own Kuro nor the unmentionable plot device.

Chapter Eight:

**A/N: Ah…hi. I'm back after having 45 hour per week drama rehearsals. So…this chapter MIGHT be a product of insomnia and random crap. Yet still, I couldn't just **_**not**_** update for another month while my brain cells stopped whining like little sleep-deprived babies. But let me just say: Woah. I felt the LIFE radiating from the last chapter guys. Lots of response to that one haha woooo. Yeah keep it up. You done good. **

Sunlight pooled around the lawn for the first time in weeks, tapering off from Ciel's house and into the forest, from which two unwanted guests were emerging.

"Hello Ciel." It was the blonde one who spoke first, and his forced kindness had an edge of poison tacked loosely to the end of it. Behind him, a taller, bespectacled male strode gracefully towards the one-eyed teen, halting as soon as he spotted the man next to him. Alois seemed to notice Sebastian only after his apostle had given a light cough. "…Oh…it's you." All that Ciel had known about Alois had been reconstructed in that moment; the blonde's usual overconfident air dissolved and was replaced with poorly disguised fear.

Sebastian stood still, glancing at the two from the corner of a narrowed, glowing eye. "Trancy. Claude." He pressed his lips together, restraining his movements as he forced himself to greet them before proceeding to his corvette. "You talk to your guests. I'll be in the car."

Two pairs of eyes cautiously shadowed Sebastian's every move; the blue orbs slightly wider than Ciel had ever seen them, and the golden irises analyzing each step.

"Hi. Did you need something?" _What in the Hell is going on here?_ The sudden surge of thick tension invading the relaxed atmosphere prompted the house's owner to grow suspicious. "Vincent isn't here if that's who you're looking for."

After Sebastian had moved out of sight as he closed the door of his car, Alois' eyes had lingered on the black tinted windows for a millisecond too long before turning to face Ciel. "Oh, don't worry. We'll come back another time. Come on Claude."

The confused teen only stood to make sure the guests went back to their Mustang, which was parked haphazardly at the edge of the forest. After they had driven away at a speed that was most likely illegal, Ciel hurried to Sebastian's car and sat in the passenger seat. "What was up with them?"

"That's just another one of those things you'll have to find out when the time comes." Compared with Sebastian's mood prior to the visitors, Ciel distinguished a minor flicker of discomfort in his demeanor and decided to change the subject.

As usual, Ciel picked the first thing that came to his mind. "So uh…where do you live again?" It started as a general question to fill the void of words, but as they drove on the back roads and got deeper and deeper into the woods, the teen started to grow concerned. "You're not going to like…drive me off a cliff or something, right? I mean…I'd understand if the ground just opened up and we drove to Hell or something since, you know, you're a demon. But I'd appreciate it if you would at least warn me first." _Wait. Would I _really_ be okay with that?_

Sebastian failed to hold back a smirk. "No, there will be no other-worldly portals. I live in a house, just like you. Except…it's in a rather secluded area."

"Oh, okay." _Alright, cool, I can run with that._ A few minutes passed; the bright greyness of the overcast sky giving way to a canopy of thick, light-blocking trees, and the seemingly endless forest stretched farther still. "Are we there yet?"

Flexing his fingers slowly over the black leather steering wheel, Sebastian sighed before turning onto a smaller rock-filled road. "You'll know we're there once we get there."

Although the demon had negated his pervious assumption, Ciel kept an eye out for pits of fire and moats guarded by winged creatures. So, when they finally stopped in the middle of a clearing surrounding a very human looking Santa Barbara style house – no fire pits, no moats – the younger boy was somewhat disappointed. Upon taking a second look, however, the dismay melted off his face. "Wow. You never told me your dad was Bill Gates." He took in the outer material of Sebastian's expensive house, noticing the abundance of windows in place of stone walls.

"My apologies," The raven started with mock regret, carefully shutting the passenger door that the other had left wide open. "I thought you would have figured that out from the car." For someone who was visiting that unique house for the first time, instead of looking like a child at a candy store, Sebastian noticed that the teen was starting to resemble a harsh critic. "Is it not to your liking?" He advanced towards the other, who was in deep thought with a hand at his chin.

"No, it's not that. Don't get me wrong; it's huge. I'm just trying to figure out how to get to the dungeon from here." Instantly, as the teen caught the demon rolling his crimson eyes, he stopped pretending to scrutinize the ground for hidden entrances and smirked, running towards the front door before Sebastian could catch him.

Once inside the remarkably well-lit establishment, Ciel's need to give the inhuman being a hard time increased tenfold. "So…" The waxed wooden boards creaked as he ascended the stairs, casually running his palm along the white wall while Sebastian led him to the top. "No ironic collection of graduation caps mounted on the wall?"

This time, a genuine groan was emitted. "No." Muffled voices drifted down the elongated hallway, making the taller male look expectantly towards the source of the sound. "This is my first year as a senior in high school. Given _your_ attitude about academics I assumed that you of all people would understand why it will be my last." When the slacker in question grinned knowingly, the host continued towards the room at the end of the hallway. "Come on, everyone wants to meet you."

* * *

><p>"Huh okay." Burying his hands in the pockets of his shorts, Ciel followed him as he paced down the dim hallway and into an illuminated kitchen.<p>

It was a rather spacious kitchen, fitting nicely into the contemporary color scheme of the demon's house, which consisted of metallic black and silver tones that adorned every island table and cabinet. A miniature flat-screen television sat adjacent to the silver sink, and seemed to be aiding one of the residents as she attempted to replicate the traditional Chinese stir fry the celebrity chef was making. All of the inhabitants, it appeared, were cooking something very complicated - and by the smell of things, very ethnic – for the guest.

Sebastian cleared his throat as he entered, causing his entire family to swipe their heads up and notice the company. One of the males had been on an impossible spice-slicing rampage before the light sound distracted him, and upon hearing Sebastian's mode of intervention, the tanned phenomenon faltered; the deadly chopping utensil flying out of his large hands and landing just millimeters away from his purple-haired accomplice.

"Agni!" Came the breathless gasp, and soon after, the violet strands whipped around as the male swatted a hand at the other's head. "What in the name of Kali were you thinking? You almost killed me!" Although the swing had missed, there was no second attempt to hit the other.

Ice-blue eyes shot open at the sound of his name and Agni darted towards the fuming teen. "I'M SORRY! I apologize Soma! What a careless thing I have done, I don't deserve your forgiveness!"

Instead of taking the opportunity to slap the daylights out of Agni, Soma threw his head back and laughed. "Don't worry about it! It's fine. At least you didn't hit our guest." The heavy Eastern accent was joyful when addressing the extra company.

"Hi…" Ciel started, awkwardly raising his left hand then promptly loosing his balance when Soma rushed over to shake it fanatically. Between the vigorous jerking of his body from the brute force of the handshake, he managed to articulate a greeting. "Nice to- to meet you!" After shooting the teen a blinding smile, Soma let the Ciel's pale fingers fall from the firm grip of his tanned palm.

"Welcome to our home, Ciel." Ash stepped forward to shake his hand as well, but upon seeing the red mark left by the young exchange student, he refrained and settled for a hospitable grin instead. "You've already met Soma and Agni, and this is my wife Angela." He stepped aside to reveal an angelic woman that bore a strange resemblance to him; every detail down to the dazzling lavender irises and short, starch white hair was a match – spare the difference in anatomical figures.

She beamed in Ciel's direction just as warmly as her husband had, and released a gentle "Hello" before being distracted by an intrusive cough. "Oh, my apologies." Boldly, the inhumanly attractive girl Ciel had noticed on the first day of school brushed passed Angela and, after scrutinizing the blue-haired teen, left the kitchen in search of Lau. "That was Ran-Mao. Don't worry, she seldom speaks to anyone, so please don't take it personally. We're all very happy to have you here."

He stared after the girl as she left, but brought his attention back to the others when Sebastian politely – and inconspicuously – directed Ciel's face towards his parents. "Oh, yeah, thanks for having me over."

"Not a problem. We were just making dinner, would you mind staying to eat with us?" The doctor slid over to detach the knife from its vertical position on the cutting board before tossing it carefully into the sink.

The pleading look Soma cast at Ciel was doing absolutely nothing to persuade him, but since the guy was putting forth so much effort to distort his face, the guest agreed. "As long as I'm not an imposition, then I don't mind."

"Woo hoo!" The young Bengali's hands shot into the air in celebration. "I'm so glad you're staying!" Like a child, Soma embraced the teen and started to squeeze the breath from his lungs. It wasn't until Sebastian graciously pried his housemate from his guest that the latter was able to breathe again. "Come on, Agni! Let's cook Sebastian's friend the spiciest curry in the world!"

With a gaze of determination, the other foreigner chose a new – and much sharper – blade from the drawer and continued his spice-shredding frenzy. "With the blessing of Kali, I will make the _best _curry in the entire world for you, Ciel!"

Various shards of cumin and black pepper began flying across the room as Agni hacked away at the cutting board, giving Sebastian the signal to direct Ciel out of the room as the teen yelled "Thanks!" over his shoulder; he still was not entirely sure what he had gotten himself into.

Back down the hallway away from the kitchen commotion, the two wandered towards the opened room at the opposite end. A strange and vaguely familiar feeling overcame the younger boy as soon as he stepped foot into the vast white room - which was equipped with the same expansive windows as the rest of the house, multiple books, and an adequately sized bed. "Wow…" Pleased at Ciel's reaction to the wealthy-looking room, Sebastian displayed a confident, self-satisfied grin. However, it was quickly erased once the fervent teen opened his mouth once again. "I'm surprised you have a bed. I didn't think demons went to sleep."

For the millionth time that day, Sebastian sighed. "Well, we don't sleep often, it's more of a luxury for a demon." Silted irises stalked Ciel as he ambled towards Sebastian's desk and leaned over the MacBook Pro. The older male's self-confidence grew into self-consciousness as the teen scanned through his iTunes and found the endless list of classical music.

"Gee Sebastian. Every artist on your playlist is dead."

Mozart's Lacrimosa swelled over the birds' calls outside and the rustling of the leaves in the wind after Ciel clicked on the top 25 most played. "And that's a bad thing?"

Without turning away from the screen, he responded while scrolling through miles of Bach, Schubert, and Faure. "Not really. It's just what I expected from a demon anyways." Now that he thought about it, classical music was _not _something expected from a spawn of Hell. When he did turn around, he caught the said demon smoothening the black sheets on his bed out of what looked like some extreme OCD compulsion. "You do have a nice bed though."

Suddenly lifting his head at the teen's compliment, Sebastian answered in surprise. "Oh…thank you. I haven't really had many people in my room. Actually, you're the first human I've ever had up here." He went back to pressing softly on the corners of the woolen sheets with a rather nostalgic smile. "I never really had the chance to get close enough to anyone to bring them here…and, I'm…glad I was able to have you over."

Hearing a near inaudible sniffle, scarlet connected with the sapphire orb, which was watering affluently.

"Phantomhive, you don't have to cry about it…" Sebastian had no idea that his words would erect such powerful emotions within the younger one, and as he stood to offer Ciel a tissue, the boy's nose started twitching.

He brought one solitary finger up to still Sebastian as his brows knitted together and his eyes watered plentifully; there was that strange feeling again, taunting the boy's sensitive nose and bringing a tingling sensation to the bridge multiple times until – "ACHOO!"

The demon blinked a few times until the actual terms of the situation registered clearly. Ciel was slumped over on the back of the chair, his eye basically producing a miniature stream below the damp black lashes.

"Say…" Ciel started after he recovered. "You wouldn't happen to have any…cats…in here, would you?"

It was then that Sebastian's defenses came crashing down. "…Are you allergic?"

The teen pointed to his eye with a blatant and somewhat sarcastic motion. "What do you think?" Deciding to investigate for himself, Ciel moved carefully around the demon's room, checking under pillows and desks until finally, he paused in front of the closet. There was a noticeably rambunctious gulp that emerged from Sebastian at that moment, and without further hesitation, the human yanked the door open. At first, there was nothing unusual about the enclosed area. But, after sticking his small face deeper within the cavern of the closet, fifteen coal-black kittens leapt out and pawed lovingly at every inch of the teen's body. "AAAGGHHHH! Seeebbassttiiiaaannnn! Help! Get them off!" As Ciel struggled desperately to rid himself of the offending animals, – producing a few forceful sneezes in the process – the demon lifted the cats one by one back into the closet, giving each one a kiss on the delicate fur-filled back as he did so.

Ultimately, when all the pets were returned to the closet, Ciel's breathless pants and periodic sneezes instilled guilt within Sebastian's conscience. He offered a hand to the boy who was sprawled across the floor – a consequence of the cat attack – and upon hearing Ash's calls from downstairs, led the pouting teen to the dining room. "We'll come back up here when Ash decides to have his talk with you."

"Please, take a seat." Angela motioned to the extensive and elaborate dining table before them; since Ciel was the guest the family agreed to give him the option of sitting wherever he pleased. Unlike the human's household where a simple wooden table and two chairs served as the only place to eat, Sebastian's family had a specific room allocated to dinner. Red velvet curtains were draped veraciously over the massive, gold leafed windows, and the black wooden table complimented each imperial style chair. Needless to say, the hosts had taken the liberty of setting the table with rose-filled vases and silver rimmed plates that housed maroon, swan-style napkins. Choosing the seat closest to him, Ciel took his place on the velour seat cushions, followed shortly by Sebastian to his right and Soma to his left. Of course, Agni took the place next to Soma, filling the first side of the eight-seater table.

A bit after, Angela and Ash placed themselves across from Soma and Agni while Lau relaxed in front of Sebastian, forcing Ran-Mao to sit across from Ciel. He smiled warmly at her, but the girl only narrowed her eyes then looked away, placing her head on Lau's shoulder.

An elderly butler emerged from the corner of the room, bearing a silver cart of salads and water for the first course. "Tanaka will be serving us tonight, so please don't hesitate to ask him for whatever you would like." Ash beckoned towards the man, and he bowed in respect before placing the course before each person.

"This is all very nice of you; thanks again." Ciel stated while wrestling silently with the swan napkin under the table.

Noticing the boy's frustrated expression, Sebastian kindly reached over and flattened the cloth into its original square shape before placing it on the guest's lap.

"Thanks…" Ciel whispered, perceptibly relieved.

"So, Ciel…" Positioning his pointer finger at the side of his mouth, the Chinese male grinned without opening his squinted eyes. "How long have you liked men?" Unfortunately for them, Lau noticed the private napkin transaction – as well as his female companion's general boredom – and resolved to have some fun.

Ciel's face erupted completely in red.

"Lau!" Angela also blushed profusely as she reprimanded the teen.

"What? It was an honest question, I figured it couldn't have been any other way considering Sebastian brought him home…"

Sebastian put his hand at his forehead and sighed yet again. He felt immensely sorry for the human and the way this dinner was going so far.

"Anyways, Ciel," Ash looked flushed as well while he completed a much needed subject change. "I assume you already know all about our family's…secrets…if you will?"

Once the teen's face had returned to its normal pasty pigmentation, he cleared his throat to respond. "Yes…well, I know about Sebastian. Is there something else? You can tell me. Believe me when I say that I won't tell anyone."

Tanaka floated in and out of the room like a ghost, placing a dish of curry under everyone's nose – even the ethereal beings, just to appeal to the guest's comfort – and Soma began chewing happily on some Indian bread without waiting for the rest of the table.

"We know you won't. Eventually all of our secrets will be revealed at some point; but right now let's focus on you. If it's alright, I would like to speak with you about something after dinner."

Every eye at the table was on him. So, he turned to Sebastian, and after receiving a nod of conformation, he agreed. "Yeah, it's fine. I'll just have to let Vincent know."

At the snap of Ash's fingers, the butler appeared once more. "Already done. Tanaka, could you phone Vincent Phantomhive at the police station and let him know Ciel will be staying longer?" The elder male left with a bow. "Thanks."

Not even a moment later, Tanaka returned to stand by Ash's side, and after whispering something into the man's ear, drifted out of the room.

"It seems that I have to excuse myself; the hospital just called. Ciel, just meet me in my office in a few minutes. Sebastian will take you up." Before walking out of the room, Ash gave an abrupt wave to the people at the table.

Soma watched as Ciel started to get up and swiftly interjected to keep the boy seated. "Wait! You have to try this curry we made first!"

The smile on the purple-haired teen's face was beginning to scare Ciel, so he skimmed a spoonful of the thick hazel curry from the top of the bowl and popped it into his mouth. The two guys to his left leaned in anxiously as the teen held the spoon between his lips without moving. Three noiseless seconds later, Ciel's eye clamped shut as the spoon dropped into the plate with a clatter. "Holy HELL!" Trying to remain as polite as he could, he searched through blurred eyes for his glass of water; when he brought the cup to his inflamed tongue, not a single drop of the cool liquid relieved his distress – the glass was empty. Although the skin of his lips was now raw and sweltering from the inhumanly spicy dish, the teen did his best to act calm as he grasped the underside of the tablecloth for dear life to restrain another pained yell.

"Oh my, are you alright?" Angela thought to offer the guest her water, but her cup was empty as well.

Sebastian already started to rehearse the apology in his head that he would have to give Ciel for this horrible night. "Someone just get him some water."

"No! It shouldn't _burn, _you're doing it all wrong! Here, let me show you." Ignoring Sebastian's request, Soma ran over to the congested teen and shoved another spoonful of random spices into Ciel's unprepared mouth. "You have to truly appreciate the taste of a thousand spices in order to enjoy this curry!" He stood with a sense of accomplishment once the guest's eye started tearing up yet again. "See? Look everyone, he's enjoying it so much that he's crying!" Within a short period of time, Soma's own golden eyes welled up with watery reverence. "How can one _not_ cry when faced with the perfection of the gods!"

It wasn't until the residents picked up the subtle choking sounds from the boy that Agni stepped in. "That's not what he needs," Both Sebastian and Ciel nodded frantically in agreement. "I have just the thing for our guest." The tall male pulled out a bottle of unidentified fluid and handed it to the teen, who snatched it away and gulped it down without reading the label; he was just glad to have _something_ to drink. "It will help stimulate the endorphins."

Whatever substance was in the bottle was promptly projected from Ciel's swollen lips into a napkin. A smirk of entertainment fluttered across Ran-Mao's porcelain face when he coughed loudly, still attempting to mutter apologies to Soma and Agni.

"I don't understand," The taller of the two tanned foreigners frowned as he replaced the bottle in his pocket. "I thought that capsaicin would be the perfect addition."

Patting Ciel on the back to ease his coughing fit, Sebastian called Tanaka in with a new glass of water for the boy before glaring icily at Agni. "How could something that's found in chilies possibly stop his mouth from burning?"

"Don't be ridiculous! That fiery blaze is what makes curry so wonderful!" Soma spun around a few times in elation before turning to his best friend. "What else could we try? Maybe some Kali Mirch or black pepper would do the trick!"

The other beamed and clasped his hands together excitedly. "Excellent idea! And if we add some more garlic to-"

Sebastian seethed as the two continued babbling. "We don't have time for this!" He yelled in the general direction of the two curry-creators, making both of them shut up. Turning to Ciel and grabbing his hand, the crimson-eyed teen waited for the other to finish gulping the frigid water. "Let's go upstairs already!"

Lau burst into a heated fit of convulsive laughter. "Ahahahh! You said – and he – and…and….Hahahhaha!"

Only the two Asian teens found enjoyment in the innuendo; Angela sat pondering Lau's reaction to the seemingly normal statement while Soma and Agni were back to discussing the proper way to ingest a spicy bowl of curry.

"Get your mind out of the gutter and leave us alone." As soon as the last drop rolled out of the glass, Ciel and Sebastian left for Ash's office.

* * *

><p>"So, tell me everything you know about the Volturi, Ciel." The leather chair creaked as Ash leaned forward over the organized desk, folding his hands under his chin.<p>

He remembered Sebastian mentioning the name earlier, but that was about it. "Not very much…I recognize the name." When the white-haired male shot a warning glance at Sebastian, Ciel's mind drew connections in order to spare the young demon. "They must be the ones that tried to kill me years ago. There's three of them; one with long black nails, one blonde guy, and one with wooden hands." Talking about the three of them after such a long time sent his body into a minor spasm that Ash wasn't able to detect as he relaxed into the black leather.

"To name a few, yes. The first one you mentioned is the leader. But…before I go on," Sebastian's father-figure reached out to tap Ciel's right eye and gently pushed the silk patch from his startled face. "We have to make sure you're the one. Let me see your eye." Bright radiation from the uncovered optical organ reflected subtly in Ash's view; his own amethyst color closely resembling Ciel's. If it had been anyone other than Ash who had discovered the hidden feature, a great disturbance would have erupted upon seeing the mark on the human with the coveted soul. However, the doctor kept calm and observed quietly before commenting. "I'm sure you've noticed the recent string of murders in the area as of late…I believe they might be closely related to your situation."

Excitement pulsated through the human as he anticipated the long-awaited answers. "What exactly does this mean?" One recollective finger brushed across the lid of the shining orb, and the older man's face was grave as he sighed.

"They're looking for you, Ciel. The trademark they gave you is an unfinished contract that stipulates the abstraction of your soul."

"But why did they decide to come back after all these years?" Out of the corner of his uncorrupted eye, Ciel witnessed Sebastian's static form staring blankly ahead at the stagnant curtains.

After stealing a concerned yet knowing glimpse at the older of the two teens, the doctor gestured towards Sebastian, saying, "He can attest to the fact that the emissions from your soul have gotten stronger in the past few weeks…I'm not sure why as of yet."

The raven-haired demon's nails were piercing the laminated skin of his own chair's tenacious arms, shredding into the wood without the slightest indication of effort marring his fleckless features.

Momentarily trading his attention from Ash to the male next to him, Ciel's own fingers tensed around his chair's armrest as he watched Sebastian dig into the hard surface; the latter was becoming restless as the exposed emblem amplified the enticement of the boy's essence.

"Just know," Ash started, bringing the multicolored irises back to contact his, "that we will protect you if need be; in your human state you would be no match for beings of the Volturi's caliber. Even after so many years."

"So when are these _vulture_ guys gonna stop hiding and come face me again?" The urge to prove his independence was fleeting after Ciel realized that Ash was right.

"Don't be too sure of yourself. They're stronger than you think." Sebastian spoke sternly; it was the only thing he could bring himself to say given his current inward struggle.

Sensing the inhuman teen's strife, Ash held the eye patch out to Ciel between his middle and index finger, permitting him to wear it. Once the double knot had been finalized behind his thin blue strands, Sebastian's constricted fingers loosened considerably. "He's right, Ciel. I'm not picking up a very strong presence from them as of now, but be certain that once I catch the slightest evidence of the Volturi in this area, you'll be the first to know. For now, just be on your guard and let us know if you need any-" Another phone call pulled the doctor from the guest. He smiled apologetically as he grasped the ringing object in his pale hands, then whispered to the human. "You're free to go, now. I was just making sure the information was out in the open. Thanks for speaking with me." The oldest male spun around in the large leather chair and faced the dark windows as Sebastian escorted Ciel back to the now empty living room.

They kept close-mouthed despite the myriad of material that had just been pushed onto the human teenager, and when the older male's fingers ghosted reminiscently atop the ivory keys of the piano, Ciel moved to observe the action from the corner of his normal eye. _Oh, come on. What else can this guy do?_ "So you can play piano too, then."

Sebastian looked up and grinned, his devilishly handsome face holding the boy's attention. "No. I just wanted to see what you would say if I could. And, it looks to me like you're a bit jealous."

Caught off guard, Ciel crossed his arms and scoffed. "Shut up. I have to go home now anyways, it's already eleven." He pushed his way past the smirking male and trudged to the garage, not waiting for Sebastian to get his keys. "And you better hurry up before I scratch my name into that beautifully expensive car of yours."

Behind him, the demon shook his head, telling himself that there was indeed a suggestion of jealousy in the younger boy's reaction. "Hey, wait, you need that car to look nice when I drive you to school tomorrow."

He knew he couldn't argue with that, so regrettably, Ciel sat obediently in the passenger seat and allowed the gifted, affluent teen to drive him home. "Thanks for having me over, I guess."

"Yeah," Sebastian responded without taking his eyes off the rayless road. "Maybe you can come back sometime…"

The corner of Ciel's mouth twitched slightly before he propped his chin on his palm and stared out the window on his side. "Ha. And be subjected to the ridiculing of your _ridiculous_ family again? Maybe when Hell freezes over." Giving a small "Hm" at the end of his sentence unknowingly gave away his lack of seriousness. _Hopefully the temperature of Hell will change sometime soon._ He thought honestly, disguising the unsought grin that was forcing itself on to his mouth as they drove out of the wooded enclosure.

* * *

><p>"Move the flashlight over here, I think I found something!" Vincent's sweat-stained brow furrowed as he attempted to decipher the first piece of possible evidence he had come across all day. An orange glow illuminated the copper earth, revealing something the policeman thought valuable. He grinned triumphantly as he eyed the human footprint, brushing a tired finger over the outline of each toe and permitting the segmented soil to slip under his fingernails.<p>

"What is it you found, there?" One of the other cops waved the light back and forth over the finding, wondering what Vincent found so intriguing about a single bare footprint. "Come on Vincent. There's nothing special about this footprint." The older man's thick brown mustache stirred as Vincent kneeled ardently over the patch of disturbed dirt.

As he turned to leave, the young chief grabbed his arm to stop him. "That's just it…there's only _one_."

Accordingly, the mustached man's eyes narrowed as the fact left him in a state of discontent. "So…where're the other ones?"

No response was offered while the wind whistled eerily through the opaque night, causing Vincent to bring his eyes to wonder hopelessly into the open blackness ahead.

**A/N: Mother of God I spelt Soma's name wrong earlier! Sohma's name is spelt Soma. I was thinking of Fruits Basket…hehe… anyways all that matters now is that I fixed it. Right? RIGHT? Right. …Left. Anyways, random question: when reading an AU fic, do you guys imagine Sebastian with his stuffy British accent? Just wondering because it'd be a little weird to bump into him in 2012 "Oh hey, it's Sebastian Michaelis." "Good day, would you desire some tea and crumpets fufufu" like seriously guys this question is burning out my insides. Okay, when you decide to review – which you will – tell me what's up. Meh that chapter was shorter than the last two...ANYWAYS, see ya next time! Love you guys. No, seriously. I do. As much as Ciel secretly loves to wear dresses. Okay. That's enough from me. Bye. ;P **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: The God of Kuro Fanfiction (who is now on hiatus) spoke to me and said that I had too many characters in my story, so I'm gonna cut down a little. 50% of the characters are going to die a horrible, food poisoning related death within the next chapter. No, just kidding. (Or am I?) But no, seriously. She was right, there are too many damn people in this story. So just in case you're wondering why every single person isn't popping up at random times…starting in the chapter **_**after **_**this…then that's why. Also, Chibi-Moko Chan aided me in the ideas for the completion of this chapter, because I literally had fifteen minutes to write per week. Senior year of high school sucks, no matter what everyone may say. "It's the best year of your life!" Shut up. It is **_**NOT**_** and you KNOW IT! …So about chapter 9…Yes…it's shorter than the others, but at least it's **_**something**_**. Right? So if by some miraculous twist of fate, people were actually**_** waiting **_**for me to update…then I apologize for this unusual lateness. But if by chance nobody was waiting for this, then more power to me because at least I won't have to practice running from an angry mob. Anyways, thanks for continually reading this crap guys. Here's chapter nine. I think. **

FLASHBACK:

"_Reaper Sutcliff, put your shoes on this instant," Will adjusted his shining spectacles, expressing embarrassment and annoyance at his frolicking co-worker. "Honestly. To think you would partake in such nonsensical activities during a professional job. You're an embarrassment to soul reapers everywhere. Now stop fooling around, there's work to be done…not to mention overtime…"_

_The red haired offender paid him no mind as he leapt blissfully through the woods. "Oh, Will…it's not like someone's going to use my footprints as evidence or something!" Grell pouted when the other showed no signs of changing his mind, so he reluctantly grabbed his crimson boots and slapped them onto his feet. "I still don't see why you're making me put these back on, I was having so much fun and here you are, ruining every-" His filibuster was interrupted by extreme silence – Will hadn't even accosted him with any sharp objects yet – and Grell found that he was alone in the woods; the other male had left already. "You can't be serious! Will, come back! Don't abandon me here!" With that, Grell escaped into the air, leaving a single footprint behind in the malleable earth._

* * *

><p>The floor squeaked rhythmically as Ciel tapped his sneakered foot vigilantly against it. <em>Damn…when is he gonna get here?<em> He glanced nervously at the clock every few seconds from his spot at the edge of the bed, sinking his bleach-white teeth into the nail of his thumb when the numbers changed from 6:59 to 7:00. "Damnit! He's late." Just as the teen was about to walk to school, he heard the familiar hum of Sebastian's engine in the driveway. Skipping over a few stairs on the way down, Ciel exited his house and opened the car door, feeling slightly perturbed. "You're late."

Sebastian forewent the formalities. "We found traces of reapers in the area this morning. They're puppets of the Volturi and could have been looking for you, – put on your seatbelt – but we looked everywhere until we were certain they were gone. I apologize for the lack of punctuality on my part as a result of this." As they drove away, Ciel's breath caught in his throat. "Everything is fine now, though. They're gone."

"So you expect me to just pretend it never happened?"

"As Ash said, my family will protect you from them." Sebastian had not looked at the boy once the entire time. "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware to keep on your guard." Finally pulling up to the old school, he parked the car and got out, assuming a calm façade.

"But," Ciel started, stumbling out of the passenger side. "What am I supposed to do about these reap-"

Despite the crowd of stragglers that was making its way inside the building – a few had stopped to witness Ciel exiting the same vehicle as _the_ Sebastian Michaelis – the infamous male blanketed the younger one's mouth with his hand. "Shh. Don't talk about them here. People might…what the Hell are they staring at?" About ten kids were stopped in their tracks, gaping in his direction.

"Mmmbe iff becuuss oof yoor hhnd…" Ciel narrowed his eyes, forcibly displacing Sebastian's palm from his immobile lips and stared back at the small crowd; the students were now whispering hastily to each other without taking their eyes off of the two males. "Nope. They're still looking. HEY! Get your eyeballs out of here before I staple them shut!" At that, the group of onlookers took off running into the building, immediately after Ciel overheard "Do you think they're _together_?" from a short brunette girl.

"_What!" _The teen's face twisted abnormally at the theory as he enunciated to the now empty parking lot – aside from Sebastian.

Apparently, the other had heard it as well. "Just ignore that too…come on, we're late for class."

Ciel stood there for a moment after the older student had walked ahead, brooding over the comment. _Together? Me…and him? _

"Phantomhive, come on!" Sebastian waved him over from the top of the stairs as the warning bell tolled.

"Right! I'll be right there." _Nah. Impossible._ He thought, rattling his dark hair as he shook the thought away and criticized the possibility. Without letting the idea slip back onto his train of thought, he sprinted towards the impatient demon as the final bell reverberated in their ears.

* * *

><p>"So! I heard that you and Michaelis are an <em>item <em>now." Elizabeth spoke matter-of-factly while she crossed her legs over Ciel's gaming chair.

The boy slapped a hand over his face angrily while enduring the snickers emitted by Finny, Bard and Mei. "_No,_" He gritted his teeth together before taking a deep breath. "That is _not _the case. He just drove me to school because there're no wheels on my truck, that's all."

"Oh really?" Dark magenta locks invaded his personal space as Mei snaked towards him across the basement floor. She inspected Ciel's irritated pale face for signs of a lie. "You know, Elizabeth, if what you said turns out to be true, Bard and Finny would owe us twenty bucks! So tell us Ciel! Quit lying so we can get our money!" She shook him rather violently until he kindly removed her arms from his shoulders.

_They made a bet…about us…being…together? _A violent shudder traveled through Ciel's body; he hardly noticed as Bard motioned to the two girls with an upturned palm, smirking as he thought about being twenty dollars richer. "Shut up it's not even true!"

"Oh stop it! You know it's true, I see the way you look at him." The blonde girl pursed her lips at Ciel, teasing away his sanity while the other two boys shook their heads in disagreement.

Bard spoke first. "You two are gonna be really disappointed when you both have to give up your money to us. It's _obvious_ they're just friends; you two need to get real already."

"Come on, even a blind person could see that they're obviously together!"

"Yeah, a blind person who was also blind to a little thing called _common sense. _You should look into getting some for yourself, _Elizabeth_."

"Ha ha. Very funny Bardroy, but guess what! I'm not the one who exploded the science lab with a flamethrower last week, now was I?"

Bringing his hand away from the short stubble of his chin, Bard stood, intentionally invading the girl's personal space. "That was nothing. Do you want to take this outside and see what that blowtorch can do to your pretty little pigtails?"

Lizzy stood quickly and thrust her hands onto her hips before she unfastened the large hoops attached to her ears. "Oh NO you didn't! Mei! Hold my earrings!"

Ciel sat helplessly below them and watched the scene unfold until the quarrel made his ears bleed. "That's IT! EVERYONE OUT!"

As if nothing had happened, the two ill-tempered blondes turned towards him and frowned. "Aw, but Ciel, we just got here." The girl's glossy lips puffed out in protest.

"I don't care! You fools are making my ears bleed! Now leave before I go deaf." Despite everyone's reluctance, Ciel rose and herded the crowd straight out the door.

"Bye Ciel! See you tomorr-" The rest of Finny's sentence went unheard as the door slammed in his schoolmates' faces. Exhausted, Ciel leaned against his end of the door, knowing that they would all forget about what had happened by the time he got to school the next day.

_Ew. School._ The thought of the place took every last ounce of energy from his body as he dragged his feet up the stairs and fell face-down on his bed, ready to have peace and quiet once again.

Then, his phone rang.

"AGH! What now?" After dropping the phone once, he answered, wishing it had broken when it had hit the floor so he wouldn't have to answer and become subject to another series of embarrassing questions. "Hello mother…"

"Hi baby how are you! Guess what? Your stepdad got a promotion and he's almost done for the season anyways, so that means you could come back in a few weeks! Isn't that great? I know, it's wonderful. Right? I miss you so much my cute little baby-butt! Don't you miss me back? What a dumb question, I know you miss your mama. So are you ready to move back here or what, because I know when I was there that horrible weather made me feel like sh-"

"Mom! Calm down!"

"Oh, I was doing that thing you said not to do again, wasn't I?" The woman laughed nervously into the phone as she heard Ciel sigh.

"Maybe I'd be able to actually talk to you if you didn't talk a thousand miles per minute…"

"Sorry. Heh…so anyways, what do you think? Ready to leave that wretched place and come back to me?"

As much as he wanted to live with his mother again, there was something that prevented him from leaving. "Actually…" He paused, putting the nail of his thumb into his mouth as he thought about how he would tell her. "I miss you guys, but I think I want to stay here."

There was a thirty-second pause before Rachel responded. "…WHAT?" Her footsteps reached her son's ears as she paced around the room in disbelief. "You_ can't_ be serious…are you? Just days before we drove you to the airport you were on the verge of throwing a tantrum in order to stay at home, and now, you don't want to leave?" Rachel bit her nails too as she thought. "Oh, I see."

At this point, Ciel felt the irrational thought radiating through the phone before she even opened her mouth. "…Mom?"

"You got someone pregnant, didn't you? See, I knew making you live with your father was a bad idea! Why didn't I give you _the talk_ already? I'm so stupid!" She slapped a hand against her forehead repetitively until a new idea formed. "No, wait…don't tell me you've become involved in a drug trafficking ring! Oh Jesus, Ciel! Drugs are not the answer! If you need money, sell cigarettes to minors or something, anything but drugs!"

"Rachel! Stop it! I'm not doing any of those things, don't be ridiculous. That's _really _bad advice by the way; I wouldn't suggest telling anyone else you said that. But anyways…it's just that…I might have met somebody interesting." As soon as the words left his mouth, Ciel wished he could take them back in.

"So my little boy has a girlfriend? How cute that's just adorable. When's the wedding? You invited me, right?"

"No that's not…exactly it…" Just then, there was a light tapping coming from somewhere outside. "Uh…hold on." He sat still, listening to see if he heard it again. The noise sounded once again as a small object percussed on his window. Before he could get up to see what it was, a small rock came flying at him after shattering a good amount of the window. "Holy shit!"

"Ciel? What happened?" The worry was apparent in the mother's voice as she began to think the worst.

He ran over to open the window and stuck his head outside, keeping the phone at his ear. "You can't be serious…" He inspected the area below, finding none other than Sebastian with another rock in his hand, ready to throw it at the window. "Dude! What is your problem!" Ciel whispered below him, gesturing to the cellphone in his hand as Rachel's rant became loud enough for the other to hear. Sebastian dropped the stone after seeing the unintended damage to the boy's window. "Mom," The teen started as Sebastian motioned to open the door. "I gotta go. Everything's fine. It was just a…rat or something, I don't know. Okay? Love you, bye." He took the rock that had skidded across his floor and dropped it back into the yard. Then, he threw the phone onto his bed after hanging up and stormed downstairs.

Pulling the door open, Ciel put his hand on his hip and scowled at the demon. "Damnit Sebastian what did you think you were doing? You broke my window!"

"Hey, I was just trying to get your attention. It seems to work perfectly fine when other people do it…" The agitation burning within the boy became increasingly evident as Sebastian stood and inspected his shirtsleeve. "I mean…sorry."

Ciel rolled his eye. "You're so lucky Vincent's pulling an overnight shift at work right now." He stepped aside, allowing the other to pass. "Well, come in. You must've wanted something extremely bad to have to break my window, right?" The teen led the demon up to his room to show him the damage.

"Don't worry about it I'll pay to have a new one put in by tomorrow. And yes…you forgot your glasses at my house the other day." Sebastian held out a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses and waited for the boy to take them.

"Um…Sebastian? I don't wear glasses. Besides, with this," He pointed to the black silk on his face. "I wouldn't even be able to wear glasses anyways."

_Damnit Lao…_Sebastian understood everything very clearly now. Earlier, the oriental male had given him the pair of glasses, saying that he swore they belonged to Ciel and needed to be returned immediately. Sebastian stuffed the spectacles into his pocket. As he thought about Lao's deceptive nature and his constant need for entertainment, he realized that giving him a random pair of glasses was a ploy to get him to visit Ciel late at night. _He's probably laughing at me right now._ At this point, the demon really didn't mind the excuse; he had wanted to check on Ciel anyways. "Right…well I also came because…I wanted to…you know, see if you were safe." Scarlet eyes shifted sideways to find the floor when Ciel smirked.

"Aw, how considerate of you. Well, as you can see, I haven't been torn to pieces by any reapers yet so you can stop worrying about me for now."

The demon watched Ciel take a seat on his bed and breathe deeply.

"So…since you're here you might as well help me with this English crap. I was just gonna turn it in blank but since you're here…and, you were technically supposed to let me borrow your book."

"I thought that was just a cover up to get the girls off your back?"

"Well, at first it was. But now that I think about it…I'd rather keep an A in English. So will you help me?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes before nodding and settling next to the teen as Ciel reached below him to get the blank paper from his backpack.

An hour later, Ciel was face-down and snoring between the pages of a literature textbook while Sebastian typed the essay Ciel was supposed to be writing himself. "You better thank me for this." He said softly, stopping to watch the subtle rise and fall of the boy's shoulders as he slept. Traces of the frigid air penetrated the hole in the window, and Sebastian reached for his phone as small vibrations ran up his leg. However, once he pulled the device out to find that it was off, he glanced over the laptop to see that the tremors were a result of Ciel shivering next to him.

Pages of the subjunctive tense crumpled under the teen's cheek as he unconsciously curled his face into Sebastian's side, just beneath his arm.

The demon grew rigid, afraid to wake the boy with the slightest movement. "Okay…" He whispered to the sleeping teen. "How am I supposed to type with you in the way?" After positioning his arm awkwardly above the azure strands that fell over the other's exposed eyelid, Sebastian stopped typing mid-sentence. _You can't be serious…_The older male sighed in disgust as Ciel's nose pressed deeper into his side and drool began to leak out of the human's parted mouth. _Splendid. This night is turning out to be simply marvelous. _Sarcasm dripped from his thoughts in thicker quantities than the liquid that pooled at his side as he sighed once more, attempting to ignore it as he finished the paper.

* * *

><p>In the few minutes that Ciel spent waking from his sleep, he began to feel that something was drastically different about the room. Part of the abnormality stemmed from his dream about making Sebastian his butler and forcing him to do all of his homework and murder his enemies with kitchen utensils. But, something else was extremely peculiar, Ciel noticed. He refused to open his eye and be blinded by the persistent sun's yellow rays, so the pale lid remained closed. As he inhaled deeply, a captivating yet displaced essence overwhelmed his senses, and as he stretched, his arm was inhibited by something unnaturally firm. <em>What the…<em>Ciel froze and furrowed his brows as his left eye peeled open slowly. After gaping at the sight before him, Ciel toppled off the bed in a tangle of navy sheets. "What in the actual fuck! Sebastian? What are you still doing here?"

The said male moved the laptop onto Ciel's desk as he shook his head crossly. "If I remember correctly, I was the one that wrote and perfected your two hundred page essay while you were sleeping, so you should be thanking me. I was just about to print it out for you as well. I would have finished much sooner if you hadn't drooled all over me last night."

Ciel stood and routinely wrapped the sheets around his body, even though he was fully clothed. Something about being in front of Sebastian immediately after waking up brought him minor discomfort and major self-consciousness. "Oh…uh, sorry about that…and thanks."

"Yeah. Don't mention it. Ash will get someone to fix the window before Vincent gets home. Since I'm here already I might as well take you to school now, so get ready. I'll be outside." Sebastian grabbed the essay from the printer and mumbled something about an extra shirt in his car as he passed the still shocked teen.

_Wait._ Ciel considered once he was alone again. _Does that technically mean we _slept_ together? _He frantically brushed at his disheveled hair with his fingers, hoping to comb the thought out of his head in the process. _This is getting more and more ridiculous by the second. _After throwing the crumpled sheets back on his bed and changing into fresh clothes, Ciel rushed downstairs with his backpack, shutting his speculations in his room as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>It was now Friday, and Sebastian was driving Ciel home. Even after Vincent had replaced the wheels on the ugly red truck, Ciel opted to travel with Sebastian. It was easier that way, he had said.<p>

"So I still can't figure out where those glasses came from."

"For real? I bet Lao bought them just to make you come to my house or something dumb like that."

"Yeah, you're probably right. He always does stuff like-" Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud thud against the roof of the car; Sebastian hit the breaks immediately, skidding to a stop on the road's shoulder.

"What was that!" Ciel gasped, hearing what sounded like footsteps on the roof.

"There they are!" A shrill voice screeched before the voice's owner hopped down from Sebastian's car; a curtain of red fabric billowed down the windshield as the person landed with cat-like reflexes on the street. "We've been looking for those damn spectacles everywhere and-" Grell Sutcliff paused as he pressed his face onto the glass, startling Ciel. "My my…aren't you a handsome devil. I do believe we've met once before…Sebastian, was it?" He stalked around to the driver's side and tapped on the window while Sebastian lowered the window and made an effort to draw attention away from the human. "Anyways," Grell started. "Those glasses belong to Ronald – he lost them in the woods somewhere, apparently by your house - and Will sent us out to look for them."

"You mean these things?" Reaching up to unhitch them from the mirror, Sebastian held up the black glasses. He would have never guessed that they had belonged to a grim reaper.

"Yes! Those are the ones. It's been quite the struggle let me tell you; a lady shouldn't be forced to be on her feet all day like this. Don't you think?"

With a tinge of hostility building in his actions, the demon pressed the bifocals into the red-haired reaper's palm.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then. It was nice to see you again, Bassy."

Then, Ciel sneezed.

In that same instant Grell swung around, getting closer to the car once more as Sebastian rolled the windows up in Ciel's defense. "Hiding a little snack, were we?" The reaper's blood red hair brushed against Ciel's window as the human faced forward and ignored him per Sebastian's orders.

"Do not touch the human or I will rip every last strand of hair from your head. He's with me."

Grell placed an expertly manicured finger to his lips and sighed. "What a shame…protecting this delicious soul that you don't even plan to eat. It's not like your kind to do such a thing; I know how hungry you demons can get. Are you sure I can't have a small portion of his soul?" He twirled a red strand around his finger and pouted, begging Sebastian to let him access Ciel's vital force.

The persistent reaper was wearing on his patience at an extreme rate. The entire time that Grell was winking through the glass, Sebastian was looking straight ahead and grasping the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn a furious shade of white.

When each of Grell's attempts to be noticed failed miserably, a scowl spread across his thin lips. It was apparent that he would not get what he desired; at least, not by asking nicely.

"So, Grell…" Sebastian forced the words out through closed teeth, his mind ceaselessly reminding him of his own negligence. _You let them find Ciel. It's your fault._ The demon tried to block out his conscience and resisted the urge to color the road with Grell's blood, but refrained. If he did that, then the others would be sure to avenge him. "Shouldn't you be going?"

"Yes…Ronald will be quite disappointed if I don't hurry back with his spectacles. It's not very appropriate to keep a grim reaper waiting, you know." Each word was etched with malice as the double meaning slipped through. "I'll see you later, Bassy!"

Grell waved enthusiastically and then skipped off to Sebastian's disgust, but the demon's fingers released the wheel once the other being was out of sight.

"That…was weird." Ciel let out a sigh and reclined into the passenger seat. "If I didn't know any better I'd buy some bug repellant to keep these people off me. They're like mosquitoes, am I right or am I right?" The teen shook his head with a smirk as he kicked his boots onto the dashboard and flipped his hood up. He hardly picked up on the uncertainty that was radiating from Sebastian as they drove away.

Not too far behind, the red reaper grimaced at the sight of the soul escaping from the side of the road. A faint essence trailed behind the demon, just enough for Grell to become greedy. _Next time…_It was already hardwired into his head that he would claim the soul for himself; even if the orders from the Volturi stipulated that Ciel must go to them, the temptation was too strong. Completely engrossed in ways to capture and kill the teenager, Grell shrieked as someone jabbed a finger into his back. "Ahh! What is it!" Behind him, Ronald grinned in satisfaction.

"I see you found my glasses…among other things." The younger reaper took a moment to savor the faint scent. "Sempai, we need to follow them." Ronald proposed after glaring devilishly at the spot where the human had been just moments before.

"I appreciate the suggestion, genius. As if I wasn't going to do that already." Grell rolled his bright green eyes and moved to slap the other across the face but held back. "Come on, let's go. I'm growing impatient." He dashed off swiftly, his red jacket billowing in the wind as he ran.

"Wait, Sem-" Without warning, Ronald's face was accosted by the cold, hard metal of a lamppost. "Damnit, Grell!" He cursed as he brushed himself off and ran towards the other; the light from the post blurred considerably while Ronald continued to stumble around, picturing his spectacles hanging idly from Grell's coat pocket.

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><p>"Something doesn't feel right." Sebastian adjusted the rearview mirror to see a blur of red in the distance. At that moment, his premonition was confirmed. He swerved onto a narrow portion of the road and glanced at Ciel from the corner of his eye. "Call Vincent." Sebastian demanded. "Tell him we're going to be late."<p>

"Wh—what?"

"Just do it." Sebastian urged.

"Is that awkward red guy following us?" Ciel turned to check out the window but didn't see anyone or anything on the barren road.

Although Sebastian couldn't distinguish the infamous flash of red behind them anymore, he felt a lingering need to be tentative. Impulsively, he changed direction again and began to speed down an empty back road. "Call him. _Now._" Sebastian repeated.

"Alright, alright. " Ciel sighed, surprised at the Sebastian's suddenly serious tone. He fidgeted through his pocket before grabbing hold of the phone and hastily dialing his father; his fingers shook from the escalated exigency in the car.

Sebastian unconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror every few seconds, but every check produced the same results. They were alone, but the disquieting feeling that weighed heavily in his chest wasn't dissipating. The reapers would be back.

Once more, the human recognized that they were driving into the forest. "Um…Sebastian? Where exactly are we going?" Ciel asked calmly as he gripped the seat to keep from toppling over as they jostled over numerous branches and small hills.

"Not sure yet, but we have to take a little detour so they don't find you." Sebastian explained.

"But what about-" The dial tone cut off as his father answered.

"Hey kid, what's going on?" Yawning slowly, Vincent shifted the phone to his other ear. "You need me to come home or something?"

"What should I tell him?" Ciel mouthed to Sebastian, even though the older male was concentrated on avoiding a collision with the dense trunks of the trees.

"Just say you're going out early tomorrow and won't be back until late that night. You said he was doing an all nighter again tonight anyway."

The whisper was just barely audible to Ciel's human ears, but nevertheless, the teen relayed the misinformation to his dad.

"Oh," Another yawn interrupted the chief's sentence; it wasn't likely that he would even notice that Ciel was gone due to his lack of sleep. "See ya when you get back then. Goodnight, kid."

"Yeah…see you later. Bye." Skepticism pulled at his vocals as he said goodbye, and Sebastian's uneasiness finally caught up to him. As his thumb contacted the end button, his eye darted in the driver's direction. "What if…what if we don't come back?"

It was silent for a moment as Sebastian weighed their options, and the human interpreted the wordlessness to signify the worst. "I'll protect you," He finally affirmed, and Ciel ran a hand through his hair before watching the trees streak by in the darkness.

Above those trees, at the jagged wooden tips that were invisible to the two below, the reapers followed hungrily overhead without taking an eye off of their ill-fated human prey.

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><p><strong>AN: Woo! Another chapter down. Happy Mother's Day everyone. Now that I think about it, what would Sebastian's mother be like? Does the guy even have a mother? Who knows. Anyways, I won't take so long to put this stuff up next time. There's action in the next chapter, ooooh, action. So, review this chapter and I will update sometime within the next forty-three years.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own thiiiisssss! (Well…you know what I mean.)**

**A/N:**** Uh…HEY everyone! Sorry about that I just literally cried because my computer decided to delete THE ENTIRE CHAPTER after it was mere SECONDS from completion…UGHHH the Internet! Curse youuu! So I decided to re-write the whole thing (I mean, what other choice did I have) and I tried to remember all of it but my memory sucks. I didn't want to rush it and have it be complete crap when I posted it so I had to take a lot longer than usual with it. But here it is, all finished for youuu~ …Anyways….**** Soooo. I wrote a one-shot. Go have a look-see. Now that high-school graduation is over…I'll probably still take a month to update anyways. Maybe longer? Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Promocat; who, always reviews (not only my stories but a lot of others) and saves all the writers on ff.n some shreds of self-esteem to work with. So thank you Promocat, and know that if you ever wrote a story, I – and a lot of other ff authors - would review it as well. Keep being awesome, we love you. Anyways! Here's chapter ten! Uhm, can you say "Second to last chapter"? Hmmm I don't know. Possibly. So REVIEW! Well, actually, I'm going to say this: "Constructive Criticism" is welcome. I might regret that later. Now read.**

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><p><em>Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my numb-<em>

"Dear mother of God Sebastian," Ciel's hand rocketed towards the off-button of the expensive radio as sweet silence filled the car once again. "I know you're just trying to lighten the mood but...my bleeding ears can only take so much." He listened for a scoff from the demon, but it never came. After glancing sideways at the driver, his own face mirrored the solemn expression. The uncommunicative environment plucked at his nerves, playing them like the minor chords of an out of tune piano. To accompany the macabre melody, Ciel's left leg began tapping incessantly against the seat, earning a shifted stare from the other.

"Are you scared?" There was a hint of entertainment in the older male's voice.

A haughty pout replaced the grimace, and Ciel flipped his hair smugly as he stared out the window into obscurity. "Tsk. No." His leg didn't stop tapping.

Sebastian smirked; a black painted hand slithered down towards the unsuspecting pale, quivering fist beside the gearshift and petted it gently as the human went rigid.

Ciel's head creaked in the direction of the other, vertebrae by vertebrae. His disk-sized orbs caught Sebastian's vacant stare, concentrated on the dimly lit road ahead. "S-Sebastian?" His bad-touch instincts flared and raised with the hairs on his arm until the demon turned to face him with a slightly agape mouth - an innocent, oblivious look.

"Hm?"

The boy dropped his enlarged eyes towards both of their hands, the corners of his mouth slipping steadily downward.

Risking a 95-mile-per-hour crash, Sebastian followed the younger one's troubled glare. "Oh!" Wasting no time, he placed both hands back onto the steering wheel and both eyes on the brightening road. "My apologies...that's how I comfort my cats when they get scared of thunderstorms. The way you were acting just now...you kind of reminded me of them."

Ciel's eyes almost shrunk into his skull. "Ha. Ha. Very funny Sebastian, how many other people have you used that line on?"

The accused rolled his eyes with a grin. "Stop it, we're here."

The teen yawned groggily, stretched his arms - purposefully dragging a vengeful hand across Sebastian's face in the process, and glanced at the lavish hotel building outside. Blinking a few times to adjust his vision, he turned sleepily to Sebastian. "Where are we?"

"Jacksonville Florida, where your mom lives, right? Staying here will avert the reapers from the rest of your family until Ash can hold them off. Then we should be able to protect her personally." After waltzing around to open the door for a fatigued Ciel, - who blinked twice when the unique burst of warm Florida air hit his face - the older one led his passenger into the room. If Sebastian had been anyone else, he wouldn't have secured a penthouse suit without even pulling out his credit card.

"Woah..." The sleepiness melted from Ciel's face and evaporated with the steam from the hot tub in the middle of the hardwood floor. "I would ask how you managed to get this room, but this hot tub just told me that I don't really care." He ran a finger across the waxed surface and grinned, laughing maniacally as he forgot the bubbling water to press both hands - and part of his nose - against the glass of the minibar. "Oooooohhh..."

The demon failed to notice the teen's antics, focusing instead on the patron-filled parking lot outside. Warily, he parted the curtains to inspect the area for two immortals with unconventional hair colors.

"Sebastian!" Ciel gasped after flopping onto the goose-feathered bed. "This is awesome! Imagine how many rich people have this kind of room, the kind with personal servants and all that...you know? Like..." The teen cleared his throat, crossing one socked foot gracefully over the other before he began to speak in a British accent. "'Sebastian, I order you to fetch me my tea' and that sort." A giggle slipped before Sebastian's graveness snapped him out of his childish illusion. "Hey, what's wrong?" Another realization quickly drained the color from his face. "Did they find us...?"

"Not yet." The demon stalked across the room to the door, slinging on his jacket in the process. "I'm gonna go scan the perimeter. Stay here."

Ciel nodded, confident that Sebastian would protect him.

"And uh...don't touch that minibar."

"Pfft, whatever."

The other's facetious remark ensured Sebastian that he had successfully taken Ciel's mind off of the impending danger. "Be here when I come back." And with a click of the door he was gone.

Loneliness punctured him with each passing pronouncement of the ticking clock. Ciel stared begrudgingly at the analogue assailant, frowning as each audible second mocked the one-man pity party. From his spot on the bed, one piece of furniture beckoned him to break Sebastian's first order. The minibar stared at him. He stared back. In his current state of aloneness, he imagined what the chilled cube's glass face would say to him. '_Ciel, we're both lonely. Open me! What have you got to lose?'_

"Apparently my sanity if I'm talking to a refrigerator." Ciel mumbled, then rolled onto his stomach as his phone created a cacophonous commotion. "Wait a second…" The tone distracted him from his delusions as he remembered one important fact. "I don't even drink!" Shaking his head, he answered the call from the blocked number. "Uh, hello?"

"Let me talk to him!" It was Rachel, begging in the background.

"Just give it a minute…" Another voice stalled, closer to the mouthpiece.

"W-what? Was that my mom? Who is this?"

"Your worst nightmare." The muffled voice came through again, and Ciel realized that the person had put a hand over the mouthpiece – as if to prevent the others around him from hearing.

Ciel shifted nervously in the rumpled sheets. "…Claude?"

"…What? No!" Some shuffling was heard through the static until another male entered the conversation.

A nervous laugh. The new stranger cupped his hand over the mouthpiece as well before he began to speak. "As you've probably figured out by now," The voice rasped as Rachel's concerned vocals continued in the background. "We've got your mother. We'll give her back in exchange for one thing."

"What do you want me to do? I'll give you anything! Just keep her safe…" The hairs on his arms rose in protest, chilling his skin due to the lack of contact.

Another sadistic laugh. "Your soul."

_Shit_ Ciel squeaked. _The reapers. _

They must have heard his frightened gasp because another series of chuckles erupted through the receiver. "Just meet us at uh…where the devil do kidnappers meet people at…McDonalds!" A smack rang out as the new male was hit on the other line. "Ow! What the Hell!"

Ciel squirmed as he strained to listen while the phone was transferred back to the original speaker – Ciel now recognized him as the red haired reaper freak Grell. "Listen, kid. Meet us at the Jacksonville warehouse at the edge of town. And don't even think of bringing anybody with you; despite the fact that I'd rather see that scrumptious Sebastian – Ow!" Ron had taken his revenge as he slapped the love-struck lunatic, making him yell into Ciel's ear.

"Anyways, yeah. Meet us there. Bye." Ron breathed, and the talking ceased along with Ciel's breathing as the two hung up.

The human paced neurotically about the room, wondering whether or not he should tell Sebastian. As soon as he was about to bound down the stairs to tell the other, phone rang once more, violently trying to direct Ciel to the callers on the other line.

"Oh, don't tell Sebastian or we'll kill you." Ron added grimly before Grell chimed in.

"Bye-bye now!" With those cheerful parting words, Grell disconnected the line. The second call ended as abruptly as the first, leaving Ciel lonelier than he was in the first place.

Instead of risking two Phantomhive deaths in the same day, he found comfort in the fact that the demon would probably be alerted to his distress if need be and show up anyways. So with that, the human successfully defied Sebastian's second order as he slammed the suite door skeptically behind him.

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><p>The taxi driver took Ciel past the gleaming buildings and into the hidden section of town; the dismal decrepit pit of obscurity that <em>wanted<em> to remain hidden. A few yards into the warehouse sector, the driver slowed to a crawl and then to an eventual halt. "Sorry kid, I can't take you any further than here."

"What? But the place is at least five more minutes that way!" Even in the evening darkness, Ciel's hysterical gaze glowed luminously.

The older human shook his balding grey head and tapped the meter. "I just can't. If I go a centimeter more into this area…I don't even want to imagine the things they'd do to me." He looked left and right, as if he were a loaded pedestrian walking down a treacherous city street in the middle of the night. "Plus, you're already at two hundred bucks! I can't imagine that a young kid like you could cough up any more than that."

"Seriously?" Ciel slipped into a panic as he sifted desperately through his pockets. "I've only got forty!"

The old man scrubbed his beard, contemplating patiently while the ends of Ciel's nerves drastically frayed. After taking another look at the distraught youth, the driver placed a freckled hand atop his head. "Well…just give me what you can. Any kid that has business in this part of town most likely has enough problems. Consider the rest a treat; it's on me."

The money practically flew out of Ciel's pockets and rained onto the driver as he catapulted out of the door to continue on foot. "Thank you so much!" He wheezed, not staying long enough to watch the man shake his head solemnly and drive cautiously away.

Ciel didn't know what was louder. The pounding of his heart, the thumping of his feet against the street, the throbbing of his rushing blood in his ears…each was competing for his attention but not a single sound registered. Rachel's heart was the only thing he wanted to hear beating.

It only took a few minutes for the teen to reach the barren warehouse, but in Ciel's mind hours had passed; hours in which he could have been selling his soul for his mother. He stood apprehensively atop the wet concrete, listening for a single sign of life to verify the location. Ciel could care less if it was a trap at this point.

"So you've finally made it I see." Cold vocals echoed among the metal encasements, bouncing around the vacant lot – yet another reverberation in Ciel's ears. Ronald leapt down from the tin roof and landed dexterously in front of the human. Shining green eyes reflected with an ethereal glow, further contributing to the cat-like semblance of the bi-hair colored reaper.

"Where is she?" Ciel strained, clenching his fists as Grell emerged from inside the warehouse and began flouncing around.

"Oh, brat. Haven't you figured it out by now?" Serrated teeth glinted as the red-haired death god stepped out into the flickering streetlight.

_So it was a trap._ "You…never had her in the first place, did you?"

"You got that right," Ron scoffed, crossing his arms and stepping closer to the human. "So, are you gonna give us your soul yet or are we going to have to kill you?"

Unskillfully, Ciel stumbled backwards in a failed attempt to evade the approaching immortals, drenching himself in a miniature pond of murky rainwater.

"Not so fast, brat." Grell smirked while his co-worker dragged a kicking Ciel into the abandoned building.

The demands of inexperienced kidnappers struggled to make sense to the now-hostage as the reapers knotted him securely into a stereotypical wooden chair.

"Tie him tighter!"

"Wait a minute sempai! …Okay…over…under…loop the loop…and pull…"

"Ooooh, just imagine how ravishing Bassy would look strapped to this chair!"

"Over…under…loop the loop…pull…"

Fear began to slip away and the human realized that there was a higher probability of being impaled by a toothbrush than being murdered ruthlessly by these two.

"Well, would you look at that the knot slipped….eh, kid…may I borrow your finger?" Blonde tipped strands fell over piercing green eyes as Ron asked kindly for the Phantomhive boy's pointer digit.

Rolling his eyes, Ciel nonchalantly held out his first finger while his kidnapper studiously looped the coarse rope around it, then used the perfect loop to bind the boy's wrist behind his back.

"Ah, thanks. There we go, all finished." He stood back to admire his work while the reaper known as _the red one_ fawned over fantasies involving a certain raven-haired demon chained to a chair. Both Ciel and Ronald stared wearily at each other, then back in the squirming Grell's direction. "Sempai…I'm all finished. You might want to start, you know…stealing his soul."

Stopping mid-squirm, the elder reaper adjusted his spectacles professionally and stalked over to his prey. "Right…" He grasped the teen's chin between his perfectly filed nails and scowled at the neutral – and somewhat bored – expression he found. "It just won't be fun at all if you're this passive about your soul being devoured…so why not shake things up?

Ciel's azure eye drilled past the red-rimmed bifocals. "What did Rachel Phantomhive have to do with this?" He demanded, refusing to remove his eye from the other's.

"Hmm…interesting story actually." The hand that held Ciel's chin dropped as the eldest being began to pace around the room. After taking a deep breath, the feminine death god started a sinfully speedy recount of the events. "I was wondering around the streets of Jacksonville with this one here," A sharp thumb gestured towards Ronald, who had decided to sit pretzel style on the floor below the hostage. "And we were trying to get a lead on you, when – what do you know – none other than Rachel Phantomhive smacks _straight_ into me because she wasn't looking where she was going, that clumsy woman. Well, anyways, we were about to continue on our way when she started commenting on our strange hair colors, and the woman went on an hour long tangent about Satan knows what…and you should thank Ron here for stopping me because I was about to acquaint your mother with my chainsaw, until she mentioned that her son Ciel had unnaturally blue hair. And that's when it hit me: we had found our lead. So I told her, I said 'Oh, is that so? I think I know someone named Ciel with unnaturally blue hair. Maybe it's the same person?' And she – being the gullible woman she is – allowed me to borrow her cellphone and look up your number while Ron convinced her that he was dialing the _other_ Ciel to find out if it was the same person…of course at that point it was just Ron using the number in her phone but she had no clue, and as she tried to listen in to see if it was in fact _you,_ we convinced her that the name and hair color were just a coincidence at the same time we convinced you that we kidnapped your mother. Then, we hung up, sent her on her way home, and waited at the warehouse. And now you're here."

Out of respect, Ronald gave this superior a round of applause while Ciel knitted his brows at his own misjudgment.

"I'm growing oh so bored of waiting now…so let's have it, Ciel." Things started to grow exponentially darker as Grell prowled towards Ciel once more, wearing a menacing psychopathic grin. "Give us your soul before I have to kill you like I killed your Aunt three years ago."

Fire and ice coursed through the human's veins simultaneously, scarring the skin with an infectious fervor that rendered him ready to lash out against the assailants. _Aunt Angelina…_"It was _you?"_ The teen snapped, eye glazed over with hatred and mouth frothing with cannibalistic desires.

Grell only laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. This _is_ her jacket I'm wearing after all." He twirled to anger the child, and when Ciel hung his head, once again despising his own obtuseness, the inhuman being smirked with accomplishment. "Now things are getting a little more interesting."

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><p><strong><span>AN: And interesting they are. (**Whhhhaaa! Only ONE official time skip? That's LUNACY!**) More interesting crap in the next chapter….the LAST CHAPTER! And it's up to YOU if I update it or not. So please review~ and I promise not to keep the last chapter in a dark dungeon called "my computer" for the rest of eternity. Thank you so much for reading thus far! Love yooouuuuu~**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

**A/N:**** Ohhh noooooes! An odd numberrr! Whhhyyyyy! Anyways….yeah this is the last chapter of this story. (yaaaaay! I mean…..aw…..) And I really wanted to thank EVERYBODY for reviewing and favoriting and alerting and being patient about my sporadic updates and all that. So thank you. Yeah, I THINK it's a little bit of a longer chapter, so it took longer to write than usual…as you all probably figured out by now I'm **_**horrible**_** with deadlines, so 99.9% of the time, I wouldn't pay attention if I say I'm gonna update on a certain date…it usually happens three to seventeen days after the day I say anyways. Ehm. I'm gonna start doing this now "~3~" (It's supposed to say ~ Less than 3~ but I guess Less than doesn't work here...) instead of the line thing for time skips….those things are too damn tedious. Meh…it gets a little…different…at the basement part. Just letting you know. : 0 Okay kids. Have fun.**

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><p>Ciel sat before his aunt's murderer, stunned into silence – even as the gruesome grim reaper advanced towards him with a roaring chainsaw and a grotesque smile.<p>

"If you won't willingly hand over your soul, then I suppose we'll just have to take it by force." Grell sighed, brushing a hand over the stolen red coat. "I hope you'll have the decency to bleed in a _controlled_ manor rather than all over my outfit. Oh well! I'm wearing all red anyways. Ronald! Slap him around a bit while I admire myself." The younger reaper obliged and swiped his sharpened nails across pale skin, bringing out two bloody trails and then unconsciously apologizing to the human. Ciel ignored both the atonement and the sting of the cuts; the only thing on his mind at that moment was escape.

Friction stained pale wrists an irritated red as he attempted an escape from the ropes, his patients whittling with every rattle of the chainsaw – and each boast the reaper made about how ravishing he looked in his scarlet ensemble. When the rattling grew to a clamorous rumble next to his ear, the boy clamped his remaining eye shut and shrieked as he ripped his hand from the tight ropes, dislocating his thumb in the process. He smirked inwardly as the chainsaw came closer, awaiting the reaction Grell would have once he realized that the restraints were broken. Without delay, the teen drew his hand back and delivered the hardest punch he could manage to the reaper's treasured face.

"You insolent _brat_! My face! My precious face!" Instantly, the weapon crashed to the ground, sputtering about on the concrete before burning out like an overused weed whacker. As Ciel grinned and Ron gawked at the fact that his well-rehearsed knot tying skills didn't work after all, the enormous window above them shattered. Thousands of sparkling shards rained through the moonlight onto the three startled beings below.

"What the…isn't that…" The first one to recognize Sebastian was Ronald. Soon after the realization hit him, the said demon also hit him - in a more literal sense – by landing on his body and crushing him into the ground.

Caught between the excitement of seeing his handsome enemy and the anger of the inevitable interruption, Grell grabbed the chainsaw from the floor and restarted the engine, impetuously sinking the revolving teeth deep into the human's shoulder.

Delicate red droplets that harbored the essence of Ciel's soul splashed upon the white faces of the reapers, giving them a miniature taste of the dreadfully delightful fountain that was spraying copiously from the severed shoulder.

This time, the boy's scream filled the immortal beings with uneasiness, Sebastian harboring the worst sense of dismay at the pained yell. After the initial shock of metal tearing through every ligament and bone in his shoulder had been reduced to an agonizing numbness, Ciel stumbled to his feet and set his mind on revenge. "Sebastian! Kill them!"

With the most possessive of stares, Sebastian asked the teen to close his exposed eye as a flurry of onyx feathers began to cascade around him.

"C-come now, Bassy…you don't _really_ want to fight me, do you?" Grell backed away towards Ronald cautiously, already aware of the tremendous pain the demon was able to inflict on a grim reaper. He winced as his beloved scythe was confiscated and broken like a twig. "The kid's arm will heal. Honestly, it's just a flesh wound." No matter what he said, the seething Hell fiend in front of him continued to advance, the murderous look in his eye becoming more and more menacing by the minute – that was, until Sebastian heard the human behind him drop to the ground.

He and the two reapers glanced towards Ciel, who was quivering on the concrete and gasping for breath. Sebastian looked back and forth between the objects of his bloodlust and Ciel struggling with an asthma attack. Before he could choose which to take care of first, the doors to the warehouse burst open, revealing both of his Chinese housemates. "How did you guys get here?"

"Don't worry about that, go help the kid." It was the first time in his life that Sebastian had heard Lau say something that he agreed with, so as Ran Mao kicked towards the enemies, he nodded in appreciation and hurried to Ciel's side, ignoring the few demonic feathers that refused to merge back into his body.

Trying his best to remain composed, Sebastian fell to his knees, placed the convulsing teenager onto his lap, and reached for the inhaler that Ciel kept in his back pocket. "It's going to be fine…" The older male spoke softly, lifting the boy's hips as he pulled the tiny medical device from the tight pocket. Thick concentrations of blood about Ciel's achromatic face troubled Sebastian as he moved several cerulean strands behind the other's ears. When he heard a gurgled and barely audible version of his name pass through the boy's mouth, he felt the breath hitch in his throat as he pressed the plastic tip against imbrued lips.

In the background, Lau was in the process of disabling the lawnmower Ronald had whipped out, earning screams of protest from the reaper. Another futile wheeze from Ciel brought all Sebastian's attention away from the fight, causing him to focus on the two lips wrapping weakly around the plastic as the asthmatic tried desperately to inhale. Endless seconds sped by as both males on the floor were drenched in Ciel's blood, the older of the two mumbling incessant nonsense and stroking the younger's hair in a frantic effort to calm him. The left hand attached to the inhaler never left its spot, unlike the right, which abandoned its post within the damp strands to grasp one of the little porcelain-like hands. At the moment when the sapphire orb began to roll back into his head, the human stopped convulsing and went limp in Sebastian's arms.

"No…no you can't…you can't do that Ciel. You gotta stay awake." Thin brows furrowed over anxious irises; the boy was nonresponsive, the body was motionless.

A spontaneous fire erupted from the walls of the warehouse, engulfing the disturbingly dismal events in a sickly orange glow. The reapers laughed, the two housemates cursed under weary breaths, the human stayed still and the demon hovered over his body, making ineffectual compressions against the chest that only resulted in a surplus of blood spilling from both the shoulder and the mouth.

Exasperated splotches of clear liquid streamed down the mortal's cheeks, smearing scarlet around his eyelashes, his nose, his lips…

Sebastian's clear velour vocals were reduced to murky vibrations in the other's ears. "_Ciel! I need you…_"

It was the last thing he heard before his mind made the tenebrous descent into nothingness.

~3~

"Damnit! Wake up!" Sebastian swiped fluids from the unconscious boy's face as if the action itself would revive him, even after his own demonic instincts began tearing his better judgment into mangled shreds and willed him to pillage the soul while he still could. He had to physically fight himself, digging sharp nails into his palms, teeth into thin lips, drawing his own blood to assuage the urge to rip through the human's body instead of fighting to keep it together.

"Give up now! There's no way you'll be able to hold up a fight against us death gods any longer." Slightly doubting his statement, Ron plunged a shard of glass into Lau's hand after witnessing Ran Mao's chokehold on his superior co-worker.

Grell thrashed booted legs at the Chinese girl, raising his arms to hers in an attempt to break her grip. Eventually, he managed to pry his neck free, but the girl instantly grabbed onto his flailing arms, pinning them behind his back. "Get off me! You're lucky two-tone over there and I are the only reapers you have to deal with right now, because if I had my way, you'd be getting murdered by-"

As if he had rehearsed it many times, the immortal being on the tip of Grell's tongue flew through the window on cue.

Everyone whipped their heads towards the new intruder - save Ciel and Sebastian; the later was still engrossed in the life and soul of the young human.

"Will! You came to save me – gahh!" Before he could finish, the girl clamped her fist around his neck, making him loose his breath.

A metal handle extended towards the fighting quartet, the two hedge-clipper protrusions closing around the redhead's hood before fishing him out from Ran Mao's slender arms. "Pardon me…" William's regal voice interrupted as he snatched Ronald from Lau soon after. Turning to his subordinates, the third bespectacled male narrowed his frigid eyes. "Trying to reap a soul that wasn't scheduled to be collected, again?"

The two responded with nervous laughs and Sebastian gazed up through shadowed eyes at everyone else, confused by the carefree sound echoing through the air as he held the unmoving teen in his lap. He did, however, catch the part about the soul not being scheduled to be collected.

"Ciel needs to get to the hospital." His words were strained and raspy, broken by the intensity of the situation.

Lau advanced towards the two on the floor, never once taking his now opened eyes off the death gods. "We'll go with you, once these three _colorful_ individuals find their way back to the circus they came from." A characteristic smile played on his face despite the thick tension around him.

After adjusting his glasses with his scythe, William cleared his throat and tightened his grip on the fearful pair. "I apologize for my employee's disgraceful behavior."

"An apology? From a death god?" Lau failed to hold back a laugh.

"Don't get used to it," Again, Will's eyes narrowed. "It is merely a formality. I cannot promise that a mishap involving these two incompetent beings won't happen again. However…" He tightened his hold on the two like a master gripping his dog's leash, earning twin whimpers. "For now, you can put your concerns to rest. Good day." Without any further conversation, William dragged both Ron and Grell out the door and disappeared into the rain.

Sebastian gently fit his hands under Ciel's back and legs, lifting him laterally from the pool of his own blood. "He's hurt extremely bad."

"You don't say!" Lau retorted, putting a finger to his lips as he surveyed the damage to the teen.

Having no time for the other's snide comments, Sebastian shifted his gaze towards the girl. "Let's go, we don't have much time."

She nodded, letting her esoteric orbs rest on Ciel's butchered body before helping Sebastian out the door.

~3~

"…Baby…?"

_Someone's talking to me…_"Sebastian…?"

Rachel wrinkled her nose at her son's response to the term of endearment. "W-what? No! It's your mother. Are you feeling better?" She caressed the boy's bandages, stealing an irritated glance at her ex husband across the room as he jumped up with an enthusiastic, nonsensical yell. "Vincent!" One of her hands waved in his direction while the other pointed to the other male in the corner. "Sebastian is sleeping! Shut up!" Her whispers bordered on shouts as she set her eyes on the aforementioned teenager, but the woman relaxed as she noticed him nestled within his black hoodie, undisturbed by Vincent's voice.

"Whoops." The father blinked - also stopping to make sure Sebastian was still sleeping - and when he was sure, he tiptoed over to his son's bed and lightly pushed Rachel out of the way. "Hey buddy! Glad to see you're awake."

Ciel squinted his left eye. "Vincent, I'm not a child. No need to be inventing nicknames. And yes, mom I'm fine…how'd I get here?"

Pushing her ex back out of the way, Ciel's mother positioned herself at the edge of the hospital bed and opened her mouth to speak after a long pause. "Don't you remember? Sebastian told us you got attacked by a psycho with a chainsaw…and that's how you broke your shoulder."

Vincent shifted his eyes sideways as he recalled the doctor's words; _ripped clear off_ was a little ways from _broken_. "That's a pleasant way to put it." Soon after, he felt his son's mother punch him in his own shoulder. "Owwww…"

"How'd _you_ get here anyways?" The boy murmured, lifting a hand to gesture to his father only to let it drop onto the bed again because of the intense pain.

Vincent looked at Rachel, Rachel looked at Vincent, and then the both of them looked at their son. "Well, after you left the house your mother called, saying she wanted to talk to you about some strange men she'd just met with weird hair colors that were asking about you – she said it was the funniest story and I told her you had just left so she said she'd just tell me and I could tell you when you got home – but I didn't get to hear the rest of it because two of Ash's kids came bursting through the door saying we needed to go and that you were in trouble."

"Next thing I knew, a few hours after your father hung up he called again saying that you had come here…" Rachel trailed off, not knowing how to relay the next part to her child.

Sensing her inability, Vincent continued. "Ash's kids told me to stay at a hotel while they went looking for you, of course I protested but they wouldn't let me come with them…and then I hear you're in the hospital with your arm sawed off-" Another harsh punch was delivered to Vincent's shoulder.

"What he means to say, is that if Sebastian hadn't been there to save you, it could've been much worse. So make sure to thank him when he wakes up." Bringing her eyes to scrutinize her son's face as she mentioned the other teenager, Rachel smirked when she noticed Ciel's eye light up when it focused on hers. "Okay sweetie…we'll be right back, we're going to get something to eat." She kissed one of the boy's bandages before dragging the father out the door by the arm.

"W-we are? Okay! Bye Ciel!" Vincent grinned and waved as his ex wife heaved him outside.

The second the door shut, Sebastian's garnet eyes cracked open to burn directly into Ciel. "Does it hurt…?" The dark hood on his head slipped further off of his forehead as he stepped cautiously towards the bed.

Even though Sebastian's hair was set about his eyes in a state of disarray from pretending to sleep, Ciel could still feel the heat of his stare upon him. His own cheeks turned pink – partly on account of the extra blood from his wounds – and for some reason he couldn't put a finger on, his breath caught. It took a second for him to recognize intensity in Sebastian's eyes; he even thought he saw a bit of guilt. "N-no. I'm fine…" _What was it I was supposed to tell him again?_ One sapphire eye widened as the other male got close enough to touch him. Ciel's pupil followed the demon's hand as it ghosted across the coarse bandages, skimming them lightly enough only to disturb the stray fuzz above the fabric. "Oh…thank you for saving me from Grell. My parents are grateful that you were there to help me." Naturally, the boy was confused when Sebastian's lips curled.

"_Saving _you? Is that what you call it? You almost died and it was my fault…" Ivory teeth scraped his bruised bottom lip.

Although it brought him agonizing pain, Ciel patted a spot on the bed by his hip and signaled the other to sit down. "Shush…if you hadn't come I would've most likely died. That, or I would've had my soul eaten by a flaming redhead and his sidekick." In an effort to be humorous, he casually backhanded Sebastian's side with his good hand. After doing so, the teen began to pout as he thought about his extreme crippledness; not only did he have a bad eye, but now, he also had a bad arm.

The other seemed to read those thoughts and rested his face in his own hand. "I should have protected you better."

"Nonsense…at least you came, right?" He contemplated a _that's what she said_ joke to lighten the mood, but by the amount of utter remorse plastered on the other guy's face, Ciel could do nothing but avert his eyes to his own hands.

"It's not like that was anything special either!" Sebastian snapped, promptly regretting his tone. He dropped his hand on top of Ciel's and turned to the human, eyes glittering with tempestuous shame. "I just followed the pulsations from your eye to find you. But…you wouldn't have even known what reapers were if I never encroached into your life. Don't you get it Phantomhive? Everything would begin to work out if…if I just left now and never came back." Sebastian watched Ciel's response, feeling even more guilt coursing through his veins. His companion's body tensed - accompanying a paler than normal face - after his inner thoughts became words.

"But you can't _do_ that!" The demon wanted to look at the door to see if the shout had alarmed anyone, but couldn't make his eyes leave Ciel's petrified features. "You _can't_ do that Sebastian." Clearing his throat and glancing to the side, he regained his pride slowly. "I'm ordering you to stay here. If you want to stay at all, that is."

"Alright, I'm here." Being careful not to upset the fragmented limb, Sebastian held on to the younger boy's fingers.

All his muscles relaxed at the reassurance. "Good...just don't say stuff like that. It makes me nervous."

For a split second, the demon allowed himself to swallow his lies, letting the stale taste slip down his throat. "You should seriously refrain from any stressful activities until this is all healed up," A small wince came out after Sebastian dragged his fingers up the boy's arm then quickly drew back. "Sorry. Just get better, okay? Your mom's coming back."

"But wait-"

At the same moment that Sebastian flipped the black hood over his eyes and pretended to sleep in the corner once again, Rachel and Vincent exploded through the door with an entire tray of food for their son. "Here you go darling!" Blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder while she whispered and watched Vincent place the tray on Ciel's lap.

"Uhm…what's all this for?" There was enough food on the tray to feed an entire country for a month.

Both parents grinned sheepishly at each other. "Prom's coming up soon! You gotta eat up so you'll be strong enough to go by then!" Rachel giggled, watching her son roll his eye and take a reluctant bite out of the first item.

While his mother verbally imagined her son in a prom dress – to the complete dismay of his father – Ciel stopped eating for a moment in order to observe his savior as he feigned sleep peacefully in the corner of the room.

~3~

Hundreds of glittering dresses and meticulously shined shoes took on the luster of strobe lights and rainbow beams at the prom, representing the equally energized students in the room. Elizabeth and Mei had decided to wear the same dress after all, dragging Bard and Finny along as dates with the threat of blackmail as encouragement for both males to attend. All around, robot-like music with racially confused rappers blasted in the students' ears while a majority danced in such a way that made the teachers enforce an arms length rule. Of course, that rule was broken within the first five minutes of its conception, the teachers eventually getting too tired to actually care anymore. High school seniors at the prom fit into one of several categories that night; there were the kids that spent the whole night on the dance floor, the kids that pressed their dateless backs flat against the wall, kids that mingled with friends, and kids who did all four of those things. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis did not fit into any of those categories.

While the rest of Forks High school was busy trying to conform to a specific stereotype, the two males sat in the darkness of Ciel's basement in regular street clothes, – much to Rachel's dismay -trying to beat the digital crap out of each other in a videogame.

"Oh come on Phantomhive. You're _definitely _not even trying anymore." With a smirk, Sebastian risked the life of his character by turning to see the boy's reaction. Instead of receiving a competitive glare, he found that the other had fallen asleep on the floor with the controller still in his hand. The attentive one pressed pause, slinking over to get a better look as Ciel rolled unconsciously onto his back. Watching the little one sleep made Sebastian think about how much smaller Ciel seemed in comparison to the gigantic plaster cast around his arm, but as soon as that thought passed, a more amusing idea invaded his brain. _Oh my. I could totally steal his soul right now._ A sleeping human was the perfect target, but after a few more seconds of watching the teenager, Sebastian decided to try something else that wouldn't burglarize the kid's mortality.

He scooted a bit closer until he was directly above the other's face. Warmth from every unconsciously exhaled breath tingled against his faultless cheeks, persuading him to inch closer to tenuously divided lips; it hadn't been too long ago that he was in this exact same spot with the exact same person, languidly stretching his neck and coming dangerously close to meet the exact same end. So, it was only anticipated that the Phantomhive's grandfather clock would choose that exact moment to blatantly strike another hour and wake the sleeping kid, designating his first conscious sight as Sebastian's mouth resting only a hair's length away from his own.

He could have yelled and backed away, he could have crafted some snide remark or pestering comment, laughed it off and rolled over – he could have even slapped the other in the face; but rather than commit to any of those things, Ciel locked eyes with the other, letting the scarlet melt the ice of his blue orbs before gradually elongating his neck upwards to close the distance.

Undoubtedly, the action was more than unexpected by Sebastian, and in lieu of allowing the boy to tire out his neck muscles, he grabbed Ciel's head and tangled his fingers within the messy strands. More pressure built between their mouths until the younger's fell open, granting Sebastian the privilege to thoroughly acquaint his tongue with Ciel's. Given that he was, in fact, a human being, the younger one had to detach his face from the demon's before his oxygen depleted completely. He couldn't help a breathless smirk once they disconnected with a slippery smacking sound, introducing a substantial trail of spit that ran between both bottom lips before the older male licked it from Ciel's mouth.

"Uh…" The blue-eyed teen started, not completely satisfied with the brief kiss. "I like you too?"

Sebastian grinned, pressing their lips together just long enough to elicit a groan from Ciel. "That cast makes your head look so big. It's sort of…appealing."

At that, the human decided to roll off of the other's lap, tapping him on the nose with said cast before getting to his feet with a hidden smile. "Shut up. We're out of soda, I'm gonna go get some more."

"Okay. Maybe we can continue what I started when you get back." The devil spoke lowly, catching the extra color in Ciel's face as he said that.

"Shut _up_! I'll be right back!" The boy ran out of the basement, trying to cool his blush all the way to the garage. But, as soon as he opened the fridge in search of two more sodas, he was drawn to the sounds of someone pleading in the driveway.

"But Mr. Phantomhive you _have _to let me talk to…"

A little blonde head craned past Vincent's shoulders, finally spotting the one he wanted to speak with. As kindly as he could, Alois pushed past the adult and stumbled breathlessly up to Ciel.

Interjecting before the blonde-haired weasel could continue, Ciel unenthusiastically closed the fridge empty handed and crossed his arms. "What do you want?"

Trembling lips opened to release a repressed secret, but before he could say anything, the other boy turned his unusually pale face over his shoulder expectantly in hopes that Vincent would get the message and leave. Even after the two were supposedly alone in the garage, Alois' jumpy disposition didn't fade. "Listen…" He said, leaning closer and lowering his voice to a hasty whisper. "I know…that I haven't been the _nicest_ person to you, but God damnit! You know Sebastian's a demon, right?" He couldn't take his eyes off the other teen's casted arm, thinking that Sebastian had already tried to kill him.

If it had been anyone else, Ciel would have easily pretended to be humored, laughing at the other's truthful stupidity. However, his eye picked up the shadowy figure of Claude in his driveway and he just couldn't bring himself to formulate a lie, much less say anything at all.

"I mean…" Alois scowled, shifting his eyes towards the concrete ground after deeming that Ciel's blank expression was a result of confusion. "That's what father told me to tell you…" With a quick sideways glance at Claude, the blonde let out a nervous snicker. "And now that I think about it, it sounds really stupid."

A relieved sigh saved the dumbstruck teen from words.

Scrubbing a hand behind his thick head of hair, Alois scowled at himself for believing such nonsense and driving all the way to his enemy's house. "Yeah. Sorry about that, I suppose all his crazy talk about how he was a fiend of Hell and was going to murder everyone in town got me flustered."

Only Ciel caught Claude's fleeting look of irritation. "Uh…yeah. It is a little…_out there_."

"Just…look out, you know? Just in case…" The two boys just stared awkwardly at each other for a moment, the blonde's upper lip curling slowly over his front teeth as if his stupidity pained him. That was, until he saw Sebastian enter the garage behind Ciel. After straightening his posture and clearing his throat, Alois narrowed his bright blue eyes. "Ahem. Anyways, Phantomhive, I'll be going now." His voice was unnaturally high-pitched and awkward as he pivoted on his feet and strutted towards his older friend, but instantly lowered as he added another thing under his breath. "Just remember what I said."

Sebastian watched apprehensively as the two hopped into their car, Alois bobbing up and down on his tiptoes the whole way. "I'm not even going to ask what that was about…but I suppose whatever it was explains why you haven't gotten the sodas yet." When he was sure that they were alone again, he slipped his hand around the younger one's waist.

"Gah! Stop that…" Ciel shyly pushed him away, opened the mini fridge, got the sodas and scrambled back to the basement.

~3~

"So…" They were both seated on the basement floor, sodas finished and hands shamelessly entwined; Ciel fooled around with the demon's pointer finger, curling it around his own. "Are you going to die someday or are you some immortal Wesley Snipes type demon?"

With a sigh, Sebastian ran his unoccupied hand through his hair. "I already told you…I'm not a vampire. And no I'm not going to just _die_. But you will."

Taking the words into account, Ciel cringed and looped both thumb and first finger around Sebastian's. "Well…thanks, I guess." Awkward silence floated around before the teen 'accidentally' thought aloud. "Wouldn't it be so weird if like, I got turned into a demon like you and then you had to spend the rest of eternity with me?" He felt those scarlet eyes on him and looked absentmindedly around the room to avoid looking straight into them.

"Yeah…let's not even go there. Forget about it and just worry about now."

The human frowned, feeling the deliberate increase of pressure from Sebastian against his hand. "How can I possibly do that when I'm in the grasp of immortality itself?"

Unable to come up with anything else, Sebastian concluded that he would just _have _to resort to _that_ method. Carefully, he unclasped his hand from Ciel's and traced it across his cheek before firmly gripping his chin. By the way the sapphire eye had glossed over, Sebastian figured that it was already working, but he had to be sure. Guiding the boy's face towards his, he forced their eyes to meet before gracefully seizing the bottom lip within his own and kissing him gently. When he pulled back, Ciel's face was colored with the lightest of pink glows and it looked as if his mind had gone blank. "So are you still thinking about it?" Each word was spoken slowly, as a faint flutter of air against the other's mouth.

It took a few seconds for the human to regain his ability to speak, and even as he did, he couldn't produce more than a few near noiseless terms. "…Thinking about what…?"

Sebastian smirked, releasing his hands from the relaxed chin. "Exactly." He let his lips bare down upon Ciel's concealed eye, feeling the seal throb lightly before he withdrew, locking within that final kiss all thoughts of 'forever'. At least…for now.

* * *

><p><strong>THE. END.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: AHHH IT'S FINISHED. Sorry guys. That chap was crap. (EEeeewwwww. Lame cheesy romance!) It's harder than it looks to keep thinking of new ways to start a sentence. _ Anyways, Wesley Snipes is from Blade. He is a vampire. MEEEEEP! Thanks for reading this insane, crack, OOC-as-hell first fic of mine! Sequel, anyone? Haha just kidding. Or AM I? Dun dun dunnnn! I mean…it's practically plot-hole city up in there. (So many plot holes! My literary car can't drive with all these plot holes on the street!) Ah, love you all. Most of you. Okay, just kidding. All of you. Thanks again and please review :3 Byee~**


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